Reading Reid
by theredheadedleague
Summary: Dr. Spencer Reid is one of the best in his business. But when the BAU gains an agent who can see through the mulitple professional degrees and around the social awkwardness, Reid ends up learning a lot more about people, and a lot more about himself.
1. The New Girl

The BAU team sat in their conference room, Gideon passing out case files, the others flipping through their copies and making mental notes. "You've got an extra," Elle nodded towards the two files he was holding, Gideon nodding along.

As he opened his mouth to explain, there was a knock on the door, a young, red-headed women sticking her head into the conference room. "Hi, sorry I'm late," she smiled, taking the open seat between Reid and Morgan. "I had to find my way up here from another SSA's office." She accepted the file that Gideon handed her, looking around the room. "I guess I should explain. I'm Dr. Piper Marston, and I'm joining your team. I have my law degree and my psych degree from Columbia, and I've been doing work in prisons, researching sociopaths. I was always a true crime fan as a teenager, and I always wanted to know how the minds of serial killers worked. Like how Ted bundy was a brilliant law student who evaded the police so many times, and then got tripped up almost… easily. But long story short, I'm here to help profile people and catch them before they kill again."

The others went around the room, making introductions, telling her a bit about themselves. When they had gotten back to Gideon, he told them about the case, laying out the facts. "We've got a missing persons case in Alaska, one that's turned into a murder investigation. Three women go missing in a small town outside of Anchorage, and their bodies turn up on the welcome sign outside of the city."

"All of them look similar," Piper observed, flipping through the file. "That means our unsub has a connection to a woman like that - an ex-lover, a sister, someone important to him looked or looks like her. My bet is it's a mirror of an ex, someone he's holding a grudge against. We've got to get to him before he finds her, or another woman who looks like her. And we can't just warn every woman who looks like her in that town."

"They were all killed in the same way too," Reid observed from the seat next to her. "Ice pick suggests someone strong. It looks like it was only a blow or two to the back of the head, so he snuck up on them. He was quiet, or someone they trusted. Bodies exhibited outside the town means he wants attention."

"They all went missing from different areas," Morgan said, laying out a printout of a map that had been included in their files. "See, one went missing from a grocery store parking lot, one from outside of a library, and one outside of the movie theater. That points to someone who seems trustworthy - who would get into a car with someone like that unless they trusted him? The woman from the store took all of her groceries, and the one at the library didn't leave any books behind. That means they took the time to put their things in his car. They trusted this guy."

"He's a Ted Bundy," Piper smiled a bit, the rest of the room turning to her. "We're looking for a young, charismatic man. Someone who could smile and make small talk, charm these women into his car, get them to trust him. None of the women operated in the same social circles, so it wouldn't have been a friend. Lover, maybe, but three in that span of time? It's hard to juggle relationships like that, even if he's had practice. That means they met him there, maybe struck up a conversation in the store or at the movies. Or he took an interest in the books she was looking at, said they were his favorite author's or something. They trusted him, and they didn't know otherwise until it was too late. Just like the women did with Bundy."

"Let's move," Hotchner nodded to them all. "Flight's in an hour. Pack your bags for Alaska. It's going to be a cold few nights in the one motel in town."

The meeting broke up, everyone heading to their cubicles in the bullpen to send out a few emails and take a couple of phone calls. Piper took her file, sitting down at a relatively bare spot across from Reid's which had been papered in clippings from old case files, maps, and all sorts of other details that made up his career. "So I guess we're neighbors too," Piper smiled, logging into her computer. Reid gave her a strange look, Piper not understanding until she laughed a bit. "I mean cubicles, silly."

"Oh, of course," he nodded. "Did you know that even now it can get down around freezing in Alaska? It snows on the Fourth of July, sometimes."

"Cool. You're the one everyone wants on their trivia teams, right? Sorry, that sounds bad… I just mean you're the one with the great memory, right?"

"Yep."

Piper smiled devilishly, asking, "Okay, Mr. Memory, want to know what else I can tell you about yourself?"

"That's Dr. Memory to you." Reid leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach. "But sure. You're in the BAU now, so show me what you can do."

She mirrored him, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose as she talked. "Okay, let's go. You've got so many degrees because what else were you going to do with your time before you turned 18? You're good at geographic things, spatial relationships, stuff like that. You're not to good at social situations, but you pick up on other clues much more easily than the more socially adept people can. You have parental issues - you love your mother, but you rarely see her. Probably because she lives far away, but also because she reminds you of the failings you fear so much - probably losing your mind. You place so much store in that brain of yours, that's the only thing that makes sense, the thing you'd really be afraid of losing. So that means she's got something that can be passed down genetically, and you're probably nearing the prime age for it. depression , maybe, but that can't be it. Something unmanageable if it's major enough. Schizophrenia usually develops in men between 18 and 25, so there we go. You're a bit of a germaphobe, and not the best with technology. But you can manage if you have to. You were bullied a lot as a kid and you've got some sort of unresolved trauma issues. A combination of natural skill and intellectualization got you to be as smart as you are, but you're not afraid of hiding it at all. You're thinking about going to the gym more but your commitment is lacking. You wear glasses sometimes, and you had a sandwich for lunch."

Reid blinked a few times, looking surprised. "I guess you earned your spot… What did you do, walk in and tell Gideon his life story?"

"Do you mean 'How do you know?'?" She dropped a few files into her bag as she stood, beckoning for Reid to follow her as she signed out and said goodbye to JJ, who would be staying in DC. "Well, I got lots of it from the decorations in your cubicle and a lot more from how you talk and little clues like that. It's pretty simple, really." As she got to her car, she smiled a pleasant, "See you in an hour. Make sure you pack a sweater. I hear Alaska still gets close to freezing in the summer."

"Another woman's gone missing," Hotchner told them on the plane. "She was picked up outside of a local diner. Erin Costanzo, 19 years old. She looks just like the rest. Her body hasn't turned up yet, though. There's a five-day delay between when the bodies show up and when the women go missing. By the time we get there, we'll have two days, tops. We're going to need someone to talk to any potential witnesses - the diner was open when she went missing. It was still early, 10 o'clock. I'm also going to need people at all of the other scenes, and at the sign where the bodies all end up. We'll split into teams when we get there. For now, though, get some rest. There's a 4 hour time difference, but it's also summer, so the days are extremely long there."

While some of them went to sleep, Piper, Morgan, and Reid sat up playing poker and swapping stories about their adventures in the FBI. Morgan finally gave up and went to the back of the plane to sleep, since he was losing terribly. Piper had been holding her own against Reid, but had started on a losing streak that only ended when Morgan left. They set their cards aside, Reid yawning, kicking off his shoes, and trying to curl up in his chair. Piper set her glasses aside, leaning on the window and using a jacket for a pillow. She tried to close her eyes, but found herself awake long after Morgan had started snoring in the back of the plane. She looked at the slightly blurry outline of Reid, who was fast asleep already. He was an odd one, but nice enough. Probably because he knew what it felt like to be the new kid, and the one who was trying to figure out how to socialize with the others without seeming like an arrogant smartass.

Reid's phone buzzed, but Piper grabbed it before he woke up. She stood, walking towards the plane's bathroom, where she could talk in a normal voice. "Hey there, newbie, it's Penelope, calling from the basement."

"What have you got for us?" Piper asked, trying to be quiet enough not to wake the others.

"I've got a possible lead. A waitress at the diner where Erin Costanzo went missing said she saw her getting into an old Volkswagen. She got a partial plate, and we came up with a few matches. One's an old lady, one's a car that's been locked in an impound yard for three months, and the other belongs to our unsub. I'm sending you the information now. I think you're looking for a Mr. Isaac Brady."

"Penelope, you're a miracle worker."

"Wait, it was reported stolen a few weeks ago… when the first murder happened."

"Still good to know. We'll have a team talk to him and a team talk to the people at the diner. I mean, if Gideon wants us to."

"There's my future FBI Director. Get some rest, kiddo. I'll talk to you all later."

When they landed, it had gotten cold out, the team pulling on sweaters and jackets as soon as they could reach their suitcases. "This man is probably a hunter. He goes out looking for women he can take easily and who look like they would trust him," Gideon told them, splitting the team. "Morgan, take Elle to talk to the people at the diner. Hotch, Reid, you're on the diner. Marston - Piper - you're with me. We have a few details of this case to go over."

While the others were out collecting information, Gideon laid out a plan for a trap. "He's taking women who have lighter hair and are built like you," he told Piper. "He's speeding up, kidnapping one woman before he drops the last one. He should be picking up a new one tonight. He always finds them alone in a public location, trying to find a ride or in need of help. I'd say our best bet is the closest shopping mall."

At 11 o'clock, Piper was positioned in front of the mall, holding a bunch of bags and waiting for what was supposed to be the last bus around the city. While half of their team was tracking down the stolen car, the other half was positioned around the mall in unmarked vehicles. They would be trailing the kidnapper and hopefully finding where he was hiding Erin Costanzo, if she was still alive. If he was sticking to his pattern, he would be. Piper sat patiently, checking her watch and looking out around the road, supposedly trying to find the bus. Half of her hoped their unsub would come by, but half of her doubted it - this was just an experiment to see if he was hunting that night. He might not even be out, nevermind in the area. "Just relax, you'll be fine," Hotchner coached into her earpiece as a car pulled up. A Volkswagen. _Just like Bundy._

"Hey there, you need a lift?" the man asked from inside. "It's gonna be a cold one, and I'd hate to wait for the bus on a night like this."

"Oh, I don't want to make you drive out of your way," Piper smiled at him, getting up to talk into the window of the car. This had to be him. _He smiles a lot, trying to be nice, definitely the charming type. Good-looking guy. The plates match the car we're looking for. Here goes._ "I don't want to be any trouble."

"No, it wouldn't be a problem," the man smiled again, reaching across the car and opening the passenger door. She jumped in eagerly, setting her shopping bags in the back seat. When she heard the faint click of the doors locking, she knew for sure it was him. As they began to move, she glanced into the rearview mirror. One of the unmarked cars was following a bit behind them. Good, she had backup. "I'm Andy, by the way."

"Piper. Thank you so much, again. I hate waiting for the bus, but my car broke down and I can't afford a new transmission right now. So here I am, stuck waiting for the bus in the cold."

"I've been there," Andy laughed. Glancing over at her. "I spent a few months walking to work in the snow just to pay for new tires. The broke college student life was real."

"Well, I'll have the money saved up in a month or so," she told him, looking out of the window. "Wait, that was the turn back there. I think you're headed the wrong -" She felt an intense pain in the side of her head, and then saw nothing,

When she came to, Piper was laying on a cot in a freezing room, her jacket gone. There was a commotion outside, lots of people yelling. "Where did he get you?" Piper looked over to see a young woman who slightly resembled her on another cot, wrapped in a thin blanket. "I'm Erin. He took you too, didn't he?"

Piper felt for her earpiece - it was gone. But they had been followed. The rest of the team would be there soon. "I'm Piper. I'm an FBI agent. We're going to get you out of here."

"Lot of good that's doing right now," Erin sighed, sitting up. She looked exhausted. There was a lot of yelling outside, followed by a round of gunfire.

"That's gotta be them."

Sure enough, someone tried to turn the door handle, with no success. There was a loud bang, someone ramming their shoulder into the door. A few more tried and Morgan burst through, holding his gun up. He turned to the others, calling back, "They're both in here!"

The team poured in as the rest of the house was cleared. Most of them went to check on Erin, who had been starved and kept awake for a few days now. Gideon nodded to Piper, who nodded back. "Take care of her, go," she waved the rest of them off, telling them to focus on the poor girl who had been held in the basement room.

As the rest of the team helped Erin out of the basement, Reid ran down the stairs a few at a time. He had been late to the party, having gone to check the back yard and the woodshed. "Hey, are you okay?"

"A bit worse for wear, but I'll be fine," she promised, rubbing her arms. "I've got a killer headache, and I'm freezing my ass off, but I'll be okay."

"Here." He holstered his gun, handing her his jacket as they made their way upstairs after the big group.

Piper accepted it gratefully, happy that it was already warm. "Thanks. How long was I out?"

"Only a little while," he promised, Piper checking her watch.

It was only when they were on the plane back to DC that she noticed she was still wearing his jacket. Popping a couple of painkillers, she shrugged it off, since he had grabbed another one from his suitcase. Elle had fallen asleep across from her, taking up two seats in an attempt to curl up under a blanket. Piper would have loved to do the same, but Reid had taken up the window seat next to her. Shrugging it off, she leaned her head on the sleeping agent's shoulder, falling asleep within minutes.


	2. Foreign Relations

"Kids killed at a summer camp, oh joy," Elle said, flipping through a file. "Middle of Nowhere, Kansas. Nice."

"These kids were all at the same camp, all four of them. The place has been evacuated, but parents are still receiving threats from the killer. You've got copies of them in your files."

"All of the parents work for the same company, at least one of them, sometimes both. It could be someone there who got mad at them."

"All of them? There's no hierarchy," Reid objected. "If the unsub was targeting, say, management, they would all be upper-level. But they're mid to upper-level. And half of them don't work in the same branch. It has to be something else."

"Child killers are usually either guardians or people trying to get to the parents through the kids," Elle suggested. "We've got to look into the parents, see if they have any link. Someone who wants something from them or wants to get back at them for something. Look into the company, look into the types of victims."

"We're probably looking for a disgruntled employee but just in case, we need to look for any other pattern," Hotchner proposed. "Wheels up as soon as I can get the plane confirmed, everyone."

"Marston, Reid, I want you two looking into the company. Interview the parents, whatever you have to do. Elle, Morgan, get to the camp, talk to any of the kids who could have been witnesses. Find out what they saw and what they heard, kids are noisy and kids are nosy. Someone's bound to have heard something, even if it wa just one of the victims getting up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. There's no privacy at summer camp," Gideon instructed as their plane landed. "Hotch is running this thing through the business channels at home for us, since they're based in DC. He's going to keep us updated as he finds anything."

Piper hopped into the front seat of their rental car, Reid taking the passenger side. "So we've got to look at company connections. The parents are all still here, and all of them are cooperating with the police. We've got a lot of interviews ahead of us."

"I looked into you," Reid confessed, watching as she drove. "Double law and psych degrees from Columbia, incredible research and practical prison work record, spotless. Everyone said you were a genius. But you've always liked those procedural crime shows, even though they're nothing like reality. You've got a dog and you can speak at least three languages that I know of, probably more. You're an expert at solving puzzles, and you can read people incredibly well."

"So you looked at my personnel file," she deduced, turning into the parking lot of the hotel where all of the mourning parents were staying. "And you've paid attention to me just a little." She unbuckled her seatbelt, turning to look at her fellow agent. "It's a start, but I wonder when you'll be on my level of reading people. I have faith in you, Reid. C'mon, we've got some people to talk to."

They ended up conferencing with the others over Chinese takeout in one of their hotel rooms. Morgan reported that they had filtered through tons of conflicting information from the kids, but had found out that it had been one man alone, and he had been waiting in the woods at night. It seemed like he knew who his targets would be, though, since he didn't spend too much time lurking around the tents of kids whose parents didn't work together. Piper and Reid had spent the day having difficult conversations with parents who would often burst into tears, Piper taking their hands and offering a listening ear while Reid searched his bag for tissues. "They're all in the same department - Foreign Relations - but it's an international tech company, so it's got to have a huge Foreign Relations sector."

Morgan stood, taking his phone to the corner of the room in a flash of inspiration, "Hey, babe, I need a list of all personnel from the Foreign Relations sector. Yeah, there you go. Now just filter the names that have been fired or excised in the last couple of months. Thanks, sweetheart, you're the best." Penelope had worked her magic again, giving them a list of five people who had been laid off. Three of them had been rather disgruntled employees, and they all lived within a 50-mile radius of the camp.

"We can split up and hunt them down in the morning. For now, get some sleep. The rest of the kids are being held in safe custody, so we don't need to worry about them."Gideon stood, leaving the rest of them to say goodnight and speculate about what the morning would bring.

With a yawn, Piper turned the TV off, setting her glasses on the bedside table. She had just dozed off when there was a knock at her door. She rolled out of bed, running a hand through her hair as she grabbed her glasses and looked out to see a sleepy-looking Reid standing in the hallway, looking around in his pajamas. "Hey." She opened the door, leaning in the doorframe. "Can't sleep?"

"Mind if I come in?"

"Sure." She turned a lamp on, making them both some tea before dropping down onto the bed. "C'mon, sit. Morgan stole my only chair for that meeting and never gave it back." Reid cautiously sat on the end of the bed, taking a sip from his drink. "So what's up? There's clearly something you want to talk about, or you wouldn't be here. Sorry, that sounded rude."

"What you said a few weeks ago, when we went to Alaska… what you said about my mom, you got it right," he confessed, Piper nodding for him to continue. "The others on the team know, but she's in a hospital outside of Las Vegas. She's got paranoid schizophrenia, and there's no way I could handle her 24/7 and work for the BAU. She can hardly match her clothes or feed herself properly if she hasn't been heavily medicated. My dad left when I was 10, and…" He sighed, Piper instinctively reaching for his hand. "We all have a backstory like that here, though. Did you know that a ton of police are only in the job because they were crime victims once?"

"You're afraid you'll start hearing voices or something, aren't you?" Piper asked, setting her cup down on the bedside table. She move closer to him, saying, "I know, it's a scary thought. But listen, it's something that can be handled, especially if you catch it early. I know we've only known each other for like a month, but I promise you I'll be here to help if you think you're getting it. Or if you just want someone to listen. It's an awful thing, being afraid of your own mind. You're a good guy, Reid. I can tell." She squeezed his hand, giving him a bit of a smile.

"Spencer. You can call me Spencer if you want."

They spent the next few hours talking about all sorts of things - the places they'd travelled, some of the weird cases they'd worked, and the books they'd read. The pets they'd had, or the ones they wanted. Their favorite music, what movies they'd seen, anything and everything. When Reid finally went to bed, he'd realized that he had been tired for hours, but hd still wanted to stay up laughing with her.

The next morning, the team met over a continental breakfast, keeping their voices down as not to scare other people in the hotel. "Piper, Reid, take Luna. Morgan, Elle, you're on Lee. I'll look into DeMarco. Let's try to meet up for lunch with some results."

Martin Luna lived in a little house not far from the camp. He had been recently let go from the company that all of the parents worked in, and had reportedly stormed out of the office saying that they would never forget him when he was done with the company. Reid yawned, leaning on the car door as Piper drove towards Luna's house in the woods. "Thanks for staying up with me," he finally told her as they made their way up the winding driveway. "10% of people experience insomnia like that, and I'm starting to think that I'm one of them."

"No, you just had a lot on your mind and needed to talk to someone," she replied, looking around as they parked. "Does this place look a little odd to you?"

"It's a house in the middle of the woods, of course it does."

"No, I mean… look around." She unbuckled her seatbelt, checking that she had her gun on her. "The trees haven't been pruned, so they're growing onto the house. There's three days of newspapers on the front steps, and the only light on is in the attic. Something's off about this."

As they approached the front porch, Piper noticed that one of the front steps was rotting out. Reid nodded over to the corner by the door, where a child's shoe sat. "Luna doesn't have any kids," he whispered. Piper nodded. "And one shoe cast off like that means there was a struggle. There should be two, even if it was a little kid running into the house and throwing their shoes into the corner." He knocked loudly, calling, "Mr. Luna, FBI. Come on out."

There was no answer. One more knock, and then Piper tried the door. It creaked open, letting out an unmistakable odor of rot and decay. Piper nodded towards the stairs, where a dark substance had been dripped going up. "Blood," she mouthed, Reid nodding as they swept the lower floor. It was clear, so they cautiously went up the stairs together, their guns drawn.

There was only one attic room, and they could hear someone humming from inside. A scraping sound like the sharpening of metal came through the door, the two of them counting down together. "FBI!" They would later disagree about who had knocked the door in, but their versions of events matched perfectly after that.

Everything happened in a few seconds. The door was broken in, and a rather burly man turned to look at them, a knife in his hands. A pile of other materials lay on a table in front of him - rope, more knives, a duffle bag, and a pile of children's things, many of which the missing campers had been reported to have had with them. He lunged for them, headed for the stairs with the knife. Reid tripped him, the knife flying out of his hands and clattering down the stairs as Piper shoved her knee into his back, pinning him to the ground as he was handcuffed. Reid called for backup, the two of them dragging Martin Luna down the stairs to wait in the living room for the rest of the team and the local sheriff.

Piper sat in one of the old armchairs, her gun trained on Luna as Reid made some phone calls. "So let me guess, they let you go because they're moving everyone but the execs overseas into another branch and they had to cut you. So you went after their kids, demanding your job back and acting like you had no idea what was going on. You volunteered for the search party and kept showing your concern, but it was all in an effort to show what a nice guy you were even after the company slighted you. Maybe that would get you your job back, huh? But no, they refused, and when they did, you started taking more of their kids. Maybe if being nice didn't work, the threat would. Or one of them would leave and they'd rehire you into a better spot. So you just kept carving them up." Luna was silent, glaring at her. That was all the confirmation she needed.

On the plane ride home, Reid sat in the back, reading a book. Well, he seemed to be reading. Piper didn't quite understand how he flipped through the pages so quickly, but it was one of those things that she shrugged off as an idiosyncrasy of Dr. Spencer Reid. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Go ahead. I'm almost done." He finished the last quarter of the book in a few minutes, setting it aside to look at her.

"I'm never going to understand how you can do that," she smiled, shaking her head. "You had the whole library read by the time you were like eight, right?"

Reid chuckled, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Well I'll never understand how you can read people like you do. Actually, it's probably just a lot of practice plus being naturally observant. There have been cases of people like that. You know, Dr. Joseph Bell, back in the 1800s, would be able to take one look at his patients walking into the door and know what was wrong with them just from the -" He paused, giving her a bit of a quizzical look. "You're not stopping me."

"Why would I?"

"Most people would've told me to stop babbling and being a smartass by now."

Piper shrugged. "I guess I'm not most people, then. But Dr. Bell was brilliant. I've read about him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He was part of the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. Still my favorite series of books."

"Thank you."

"For what?"  
"For letting me babble. And for being up at all hours for me to babble to."


	3. Hostages

Piper had been making coffee in the conference room when Gideon walked in, followed by the rest of the team. "Grab your things, kid. This is a good one. Briefing's going to be on the plane, since we're losing time as it is."

"Hostage situation in a bank in the middle of Manhattan. They've closed down the entire block, but there's no way they can blast their way in or send in a SWAT team without a massive loss of life. We've got two unsubs in there, and they've taken out the cameras, so all we've got is voice-recognition software and what one of the released hostages has told us. They've let out two people, a mother and her baby, in exchange for fast food. From what she's told us, at least one of the men matches the description of an escaped killer from a prison in upstate New York," Gideon explained. "We're thinking that the other one is his cousin, who's been convicted of bank robbery before."

"No offense, but why do they want us there?" Morgan asked, flipping through the file. "It looks pretty cut-and-dry for the HRT."

"They want profiles of the people inside," Piper spoke up. "We can profile the hostage-takers, but we also need to know who we can keep in there the longest and who we have to get out soon. Who can withstand more mental trauma and bounce back. I'm sure they have files on most of them, all we have to do is look over the information and give the police and the HRT profiles. And they'll need better profiles of the hostage-takers to see what approach to use to get them to give up hostages."

Hotchner nodded. "We also need to tell them how to approach getting hostages out. They're going to need our guidance for negotiations."

They met the Hostage Rescue Team in a building that they had commandeered near the bank. "Agent Toby LeBrun," the lead negotiator introduced himself to the team. "They've been in there for nearly six hours. We've got files on all of the hostages, and one woman still in debriefing. We're also going to want your input on the hostage-takers. We've got one identified as an Arthur Willis, who used to work at the bank before being sentenced and escaping a vehicular manslaughter charge. We're thinking the other one is his cousin Frank, who worked upstairs in HR."

"Any significant stressors?" Elle asked, sitting down to look over some of the files. She would be taking charge of profiling the hostage-takers, along with some of the others.

"Arthur was convicted of killing one of the executives' wives, and Frank was just fired because of a string of sexual harassment complaints," LeBrun explained.

"Sounds significant to me," Morgan nodded, picking up a copy of the files Elle was looking at. "Have they been demanding anything?"  
Agent LeBrun shook his head. "We're thinking that they're in over their heads. They haven't been making many demands, but recently they've been talking about wanting money and a safe trip out of here."

"I think I'm going to want to talk to the lead negotiator," Piper resolved. Hotchner agreed, the two of them heading off to where the negotiation team had set up its base. They were introduced to the lead negotiator, who was about to go on a break.

"You're welcome to sit in on this. I've got my second negotiator talking to one of the women inside the bank. She's the one the hostage-takers are going through, and she's doing remarkably well. She's already given us information about the six other hostages they've got. They haven't harmed anyone yet, but they're still making threats to shoot if anyone tries escaping."

Piper sat down next to the man who was on the phone with the people inside the bank, writing him a note that said "BAU, Piper & Hotchner. Here to help." He nodded as he continued to speak. The woman on the other end of the phone sounded frantic, like she was getting worked up relaying their demands. Piper put a hand on the negotiator's arm. He passed her an earpiece, turning the microphone on as he passed her a note - "Ross. HRT."

"Hi there," she smiled, keeping her voice level. "My friend had to get up to use the restroom. His stomach isn't doing too well on all of the greasy food they've been bringing in for us, otherwise he would have told you. My name is Piper. What's your name?"

"Vivian," the woman said with a sniffle. "They're making me talk so they don't get their voices recognized."

"Okay, Vivian, I'm going to tell you a bit about myself, since we're going to spend some time talking together and it's always nice to know who you're talking to. I work for the FBI, and I specialize in forensic psychology, which means I help to understand the thoughts of people who do things like this. I'm from Florida originally, but I live in Virginia now. I have a dog - his name is Chester and he stays with my landlady when I have to fly out on cases."

"I have a dog too. She's at home with my wife. Her name's Alexandra. We've got a daughter, Summer. Are you married?" Vivian asked. Her voice was calming down now that she was focused on something that made her happy.

"No, I'm not. One day, maybe. Alexandra's a lucky woman. She's got a very brave wife." Piper took a breath, letting the words sink in. "Vivian, I need you to do something for me. Can you tell me how everyone is doing?"

"Most of us are okay. We're in the back room of the bank, right by the safe. None of the employees here know the code for it, though. They're trying to open the computers to see if it's in there. We've got a teenager in here who needs his asthma inhaler, though. He hasn't had his meds in a while. His dad says he should be okay for a few more hours."

"Okay, we're going to focus on getting him out first, if everyone else is doing okay. You're doing brilliantly, you know that?" Piper took a sip of water from a bottle someone had brought over. She had wanted to do hostage negotiation work for a while. It seemed nice, having everything brought to you and not actually running around in the field, but one wrong word or one mistimed statement could get everyone killed. So she went into behavior analysis.

A gruff voice came from behind Vivian. "Tell them they have an hour to get us the safe code, or she gets shot."

"Who is 'she'?" Piper asked, keeping her voice level.

"Her name's Anna. She's four months pregnant, and she was going to meet her husband here to talk about a mortgage. He made it here just after they'd sealed the doors and the police had taken over this part of the block.

"Okay, we're working on the code. Tell her she's going to be fine. I'm going to take care of this. My friend Hotch - he's also part of my team - is calling the managers now. We're going to have that code for you soon."

Hotchner had gone to another room to talk to the bank manager, promising him that none of the money would get further than a block from the bank. The Hostage Rescue Team was already working on a plan to open the safe and convince the hostage-takers to come out. They would get them into a vehicle and take them from there. But first the negotiators had to get them out and away from the hostages. Piper kept talking to Vivian as the others worked to profile the people in the bank and make a list of who they needed to get out and in what order, profiled the hostage-takers, and helped the HRT map out how they would capture the hostage-takers as they exited the building. Piper was watching the clock, just like she knew the people in the bank would be, as she talked to Vivian, having her get the hostage-takers to promise to let out the boy in exchange for the code. With eight minutes left, Hotchner passed her a sheet of paper as a team outside got ready to get the boy away from the bank. He was standing in front of the doors, waiting. "Vivian, I have the code for you. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"You're going to enter 04-26-38-93-77. Then it will ask for a pin number for confirmation. That's going to be 2451." Piper was quiet as she heard one of the hostage-takers snatch the paper From Vivian, saying that it had better be right. There was a pause, and then the safe beeped as it was opened. Piper breathed a sigh of relief, but tensed up as they heard two gunshots echo from the bank, both over the phone and from across the street. Vivian yelped. "What happened?"

"They shot at the police as they let that boy go. Everyone looks okay, we're just jumpy in here. He's out. The police have him, I think."

Someone behind her confirmed that, "They've got the boy. He's being moved the a medical truck and then he'll go to the BAU people in Room 3."

Piper dropped her head into her hands, sighing in relief. Six hostages left. They were all doing well, if a bit hungry. They had just saved a boy who would have died without his meds in a few hours. If she could pick up the pace, convince them that they should let more people out in exchange for other things, they would be doing well. They were on the right track as it was. Near 9 o'clock, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Reid stood next to her, handing her a note. "Finally time for dinner time. You're off for a while." She nodded, signed off with Vivian, and handed control of the negotiations back to Ross.

"Good job," Reid smiled. "I know you weren't meant to end up in the negotiator's chair, but you did great."

"Thanks." She had gotten two more people out of the bank, and Ross would be taking over as they started planting the seeds of an escape plan in the hostage-takers' minds. "How have you guys been doing?"

"Fine. We got dinner earlier, but Hotch ordered a pizza and sent it up to your room. We're all taking turns working and being in the back of the negotiation room, passing notes around and listening in. Elle, Hotch and Morgan took their breaks earlier. Gideon's napping in his room, and they sent me to get you. We're off until the 3 AM shift, or until they need us out with the SWAT team while they execute the rescue and capture." They had all been given rooms in the hotel above the business they were working in, so they could switch out with the others easily and run downstairs if they were needed. "There have been hostage situations that lasted years, so be prepared," he joked.

"They won't close Manhattan down for years," Piper shook her head. "Let's get some food."

They sat upstairs devouring a pizza and watching the bank from Reid's window, which partially faced the side of the bank. They could see figures moving around in the street, and once, someone came out of the bank. "There's another hostage out. That means we only have a few left in there. They're getting close." Piper opened a bottle of wine that she had found in the room - the hotel had been evacuated, so they had free reign over what was left behind. "Want some?"

"Even a 0.067 BAC level impairs judgement-"

"I know you just did the calculation for your share of this in your head, and that's impressive, but do you want any?"

"Sure."

Piper poured him a glass and they looked out the window, watching the police spotlights as they drank, trying not to think about the negotiation process going on a few floors below them. "You know, I've only been with the BAU for something like two months now, but I can tell we're never going to have an average day at work, are we?"

"Simple answer, no. Even paperwork days are fairly eventful," Reid answered, taking his tie off and yawning. "We should probably get some sleep. They're going to need us again at 3, and you're going to probably be back on the phone, since she trusts you now."

"Help me finish this bottle and then I'll head to bed."

"Okay, fine. You'll be able to sleep it off by the time you have to be up, if I calculated your weight right."

"I'm not going to tell you not to say that to people," she laughed, finishing her next glass and pouring another, staring out of the window. Not much had changed, but it was interesting to see the people moving about outside, even though the normal New York life had been almost halted on that street. Piper took another sip of her wine, leaning closer. She smiled a bit of a tipsy smile, watching the lamplight reflect off of his glasses. "Can I ask you something?"

He didn't turn to look at her, but instead was focused on three people moving a barricade down the road. "Yeah, sure."

"What does the brilliant Spencer Reid do when he's not solving crimes?"

"Well, I read a lot, and -"

"Do you ever go out? Like to the movies? Or to dinner?"

"Of course I do, everybody-"

"Hey Reid?"

"Hmm?" He finally turned to look at her, his fellow behavioral analyst taking a deep breath. "Wat?"

Piper moved forward a bit more, leaning onto him. Their lips met for a few seconds, Piper pulling back almost as soon as she realized what she had done. "I, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have… that was wrong of me, I'm so sorry." She moved to get up, Reid grabbing her hand.

"It's okay," he insisted.

"I should go." She brushed a strand of red hair out of her face, grabbing her keys.

"No, I, it's okay," he assured her, following her to the door. "Wait, I… I like you. You're nice, you're sweet to me and you've never called me a… a freak, of looked at me like I was crazy, or told me to shut up when I've said something that doesn't really matter but is actually pretty interesting or… it's okay. I'm… I'm fine with it. And," he paused, turning a bit pink as she looked at him. "And, uh, if you wanted to do that again, I wouldn't be opposed to it. But only if you wanted to."

"I think I'd like that."

Reid leaned forward slowly, giving her a kiss at the door. Her lips tasted like wine, and she smelled nice, a bit like vanilla and a bit like flowers. He suddenly felt the urge to hold on to her, to ask if she wanted to stay a little while longer. But they had a case, and they needed their rest, especially if they wanted to get as many people out alive as they could.

"Where do we go from here?'

"We finish this case, and then we get dinner one day."

"I like the sound of that." She turned to leave, but hesitated for a moment. "Reid, don't say anything to anybody about this, okay?"

"Of course." He watched her go, listening for the click of the lock across the hallway before going to lay on his bed, smiling to himself.

Piper's alarm went off at 2:30, which was way too early for anyone, let alone the team that had been working on this situation for a while already. She rolled out of bed, got ready quickly, and was on her way to the elevator within fifteen minutes. Reid was waiting for the elevator when she got there, turning to look at her as she walked up. "Let's go."

There wasn't much time to talk as they re-entered the hectic offices below their rooms, jumping right back into the thick of profiling, negotiating, and helping the HRT group get ready for their mission. The hostage-takers had agreed to come out if there was a helicopter waiting for them. They had already been stuffing cash into briefcases and were getting ready to exit the bank with their three remaining hostages.

The next few hours went quickly. The hostages were thrown to the police as the hostage-takers got into the helicopter, which was quickly surrounded by police. It turned out that neither of them knew how to actually fly a helicopter, and the reading they had done on it while they were holed up in the bank had not helped in practice. They were taken in by the HRT and SWAT teams, and the hostages were brought to the BAU team, who interviewed them all and were able to make sure they weren't likely to suffer from any permanent trauma. Things were packed up and they were back on a plane to DC soon after, heading right back to work to write up reports and process everything that had just happened.

Piper was busy typing up a procedural memo when Reid appeared beside her. "What's up?"

"Approximately 5,000 commercial airplanes and 1,459 satellites at the moment, but I know that's not the answer you're looking for." Piper smiled and stopped typing, turning to look at him. He paused for a second before asking her, "What happened last night… does that all still stand?"

"Is that your way of wondering 'Was that real or was it a mix of stress and exhaustion and half a bottle of wine?'?"

"Sort of, I guess."

"It still stands. I mean, as long as your offer of getting dinner still stands. But not today. I'm heading home and sleeping for ages."


	4. Dr Reid Doesn't Date

Dr. Spencer Reid, Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D. did not usually go on dates. No, he never went on dates. But this time, he was early to the restaurant, pacing around in front of the door before walking in, sitting down at a table near the window. _This is stupid. Just because she's nice doesn't mean she really likes you. She's just not as blunt about telling you to shut up as the others are. She's probably not even going to show._ He checked his watch. 7:05. _She's late. She's not going to show. Why would she? Why-_

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Piper smiled, taking a seat across from him. "Traffic on the Wilson Bridge was awful."

"It's fine. Traffic patterns on the Wilson are - well, that's not interesting."

"No, tell me, it's okay."

"Traffic patterns on the Wilson are terrible after 4 and usually late into the night. In 1998, there was a standoff on the bridge that stopped traffic for seven hours."

"Well then, I'm glad I was only five minutes late," Piper smiled. "Have you tried the eggplant parm here? It's great."

"You know the first reference to eggplant parm was in the early 1400s in southern Italy? It's one of the few Italian foods they sell over here that are really Italian," he told her as a waiter came to greet them.

They spent the next hour talking over dinner, and decided to head out to "a really cool spot on the Potomac where you can see the stars. There are 5,000 visible stars on an average clear night, but we can only see a fraction of them because of the distortion of the atmosphere, local trends, and other ocular phenomenon."

"This is nice," Reid told her as they stood on the boardwalk of a small park, looking over at the forest surrounding them. "I could get used to this."

"Technically we're trespassing," Piper reminded him.

"We're federal agents," he countered. "We're on an investigation."

"We profile people," Piper laughed, taking his hand. "It can't really be an investigation if there's no one and no scene to profile." Reid looked down at their conjoined hands and then back up at Piper. "Sorry, should I-"

"No, it's fine. It's good. Do you want to sit down?" They took a seat on a bench at the end of the dock. "Look, I'm sorry if I… I don't do relationships, not usually. Not that I wouldn't want to with you, it's just that I'm not very good at them. Well, the chemicals involved are simple, but you already know I have a tendency to say too much, or the wrong thing, or… well, just something stupid. I don't 'get' people like you do."

"Reid, listen, it's fine - it's fine if you don't know what to say or if you don't do the right thing all of the time. But I just want to know what you want. Just be honest." She looked up at the stars, adding, "It's funny to think 90% of our bodies are made of the same things stars are."

He nodded. "I want… I want to be happy. I like you, and I trust you, and you make me very happy." He looked over to her, Piper who turned to him. "Dinner was nice. It's exceedingly rare that you find someone who you don't get bored talking to, someone who's actually interesting beyond a few sentences."

"Well thank you."

"We should do this again," Reid proposed. "Hey, um, you know what? More pathogens are passed through handshakes than through-"

Piper leaned over and kissed him, the profiler shutting up for once in his life. He pulled her closer, kissing her back chastely before putting an arm around her shoulders. Piper moved closer, leaning her head on his shoulder. She could feel him sigh, Reid smiling as he looked out over the water. Their brief moment of quiet was interrupted when Piper's phone rang. "What's going on, Gideon?"

"We've got a bomber. Get here as soon as you can."

Reid's phone buzzed a minute later, the two of them taking off for the FBI building. "Look at that, the two of them getting here at the same time," Morgan commented as they arrived, looking to JJ and Elle. "Pay up."

"What did we miss?" Reid took a seat next to Piper.

"Your date."

Piper started talking before Reid could object. "It wasn't a date. We ran into each other on our way in and took the same elevator. Where is our bomber striking?"

"Around Mobile, Alabama," Gideon told them, handing over a file. "Three law offices have been obliterated in the last few days."

"Law offices… we could be looking at someone who feels like they were wronged by the system or someone who resents it entirely," Reid spoke up.

"What kind of law offices?" Piper asked. "The file doesn't say."

"Lots of class-action suits, discrimination cases, things like that," Gideon told them. "I'm going to need the team split between the three - interviewing survivors, finding out if anyone or anything suspicious was seen around the offices the day before the bombings. I'm also going to need someone to profile the maker of the devices. If the things they're made of or how they were made points towards a specific type of bomber. We also need to figure out where our unsub is going to strike next."

"Wheels up in 20," Hotchner said, getting off of the phone with their transport coordination team. As they filed out of the door, he turned to Reid, measuring his words carefully. "I'm not insinuating anything here, but if anything is happening between people in the department, it's my… responsibility to know."

"Yes, Sir." He nodded, heading out of the door and running right into Morgan.

"Were you two really in the same elevator by chance?"

"'Course we were," Piper said, pulling Reid aside with a "take a look at this and tell me it isn't similar to our guy." As soon as Morgan walked away, she added, "Hotch onto you too?"

"They're criminal profilers. They pick out lies for a living," he shrugged. "I'm surprised he hasn't picked up on it earlier."

"What do you mean?"

"It's all the subtle clues we look for in unsubs, but in reverse," he explained as they walked. "All of the side conversations, how you smile at me differently from the others, how… how I talk to you differently. How the room brightens when you walk in, how you make me smile more, how you… ugh, they notice everything, how everything changes. They already knew, even before I did."

"Well we have a bomber to take care of right now," Piper said, changing the topic of conversation as Elle met them on the stairs. "We can talk about this later. On the plane or something. It's an interesting theory, Reid."

They spent the plane ride profiling their unsub as best they could, looking into the law offices that had been targeted and what details they knew about the bombs that had been planted. The four-hour flight gave them a lot of results, but they still had lots to do as soon as the plane touched down. "Elle, JJ, head over to the Gable office, see what you can do there. Hotch, Morgan, get over to Butler. I'm headed to Aaron & Massey myself - the latest bombing. Reid, Piper, I want you two to head down to the police station and inspect what they recovered of the bombs. Put them back together in your heads."

"Make sure you get some work done," Morgan joked, Hotch giving him a look from across the room.

"Do you think they really are together?" JJ asked as they left, Elle waiting until Reid and Piper were out of earshot to answer.

"Have you seen how she smiles at the stupid things he says? Or how she lets him babble on about physics or facts that only a handful of people would know? And how he follows her around like a puppy? They talk all the time, JJ," Elle pointed out as they got into their car. "And you know they got to Headquarters together."

"Hmm, hmm, hmm," JJ nodded. "Looks like our boy's finally found someone that doesn't tell him to shut up or get annoyed when he goes on and on about magic tricks or advanced mathematics."

"This part goes here, and I think this was part of the timer wiring," Piper said, bringing some pieces over to where Reid sat on the floor, reassembling everything. He had taken up a spot on a tarp and surrounded himself with what the police said were remnants of the last bomb. They had sorted some things out as parts of the building, and others were potential parts. "This is part of the detonation system, isn't it?" She brought over a few wires, Reid filling them in where they belonged.

"This looks like it was homemade, no real sophistication. Our guy knows the basics of bomb-making, but it looks like something you would make in your garage with spare parts and a couple of things from the hardware store." He took his glasses off, rubbing his eyes before continuing, "There's nothing that suggests he's got any special knowledge about explosives."

"I've been thinking, the places he targeted all do discrimination cases, right? Well, we're in the South. Plenty of old-fashioned ideas here. And we know most bombers are young men with an agenda. Where do you think that points?"

"You think this is a racially motivated bomber?"

"A bomber in the heart of the South targeting law firms that specialize in discrimination cases, plus the fact that bombers are usually young men who have been angered by something specific, there you go." Piper sat down next to him, adding a part to the bomb that they were rebuilding. She set her head on his shoulder, adding, "If they have any other physical evidence on him, or any security camera footage, we'll have our guy in a matter of hours."

"We have to tell Hotch."

"I already did. Called him a few minutes ago while you were rewiring some stuff."

"No, I mean about us. It's all I've been thinking about since we got on that plane. Everyone's already seen it, even if we think they haven't. We've got to follow protocol."

"When we get back home, we will," Piper promised. "Not telling you when exactly, but we'll find time for it. And you better not try to run to Hotch without letting me have a say in it."

"Fine, fine," Reid nodded. "Does this look like part of the detonator or part of the countdown device?"

"I'm thinking that's part of the lighting from the building. I recognize the type of wires," she told him. "In my professional opinion, I think we're looking for a young white man, one who works in unskilled labor. Probably a low-level construction job. He's not wiring like an electrician, but he does kind of know what he's doing. He's probably had problems in his past with people who are different from him. He could be involved with white supremacy organizations and could be carrying out a group vendetta, instead of a personal one. If it was personal, it would be one law firm, not three. He hasn't communicated with any of them, so he's probably either afraid he will be recognized or he doesn't know how to put what he feels into words. Probably didn't do well in school-"

"You should be telling JJ this," Reid interrupted, "so she can get that out to the press."

"I already have. We've got a tip line set up, and we're going to be hunting down some of these people after dinner."

"How long were you going to let me sit here and try to put a bomb back together?"

"A while. You're cute when you're thinking."

"So I'm always cute," he reasoned, standing before offering her a hand. She accepted, standing up and looking over the work they had done.

"Yes, yes you are," she laughed, the two of them heading out to meet the others and file through transcripts of calls.

"I think I've got one," Morgan said, looking up from the papers he was reading. "This one's describing a guy who works for a repair shop, has a limited education, a record for assault - he beat up two… two African American kids. There's your racial issue right there. I say we start with this one."

They picked out a few others, all splitting up after dinner. Piper and Elle were halfway to a scene when they were called back, given a different address, and told to be ready to make an arrest. By the time they got there, the unsub was already in the back of the local sheriff's car. Piper broke off and went into the house, finding a half-assembled bomb on the table. "Bomb Squad's on it's way," Gideon told her, walking up beside her. "The rest of the team is all outside."

"He was killing innocent people just because of hate. He would've kept killing until he took out every law firm in the city."

"I have a question for you," Gideon said, not making eye contact. Piper followed his lead, spending her time staring at the bomb and the rest of it's pieces scattered all over the room. "Is there anything more than a working relationship between you and Reid?"

Piper swallowed, still not meeting his eye. Slowly, she nodded, saying, "It hasn't been long. We were going to talk to you and Hotch about it when we got back to DC. We've… we've just gone on one date. It's not even official."

Gideon nodded, saying, "It's alright. Just remember he's not that good at social interaction. Or anything with girls. He never had that social education that the rest of us had."

She nodded. "We ought to go back outside."

"I'll talk to Reid about this later. There shouldn't be any problem with the Bureau, since neither of you is the other's superior, but thank you for letting me know."

"Not a problem, sir."

On the plane ride home, Gideon dropped into the seat next to Reid, which Piper had been taking up until she stood to find a snack. When she returned, she kept walking, sitting down with JJ, Elle, and Morgan, who were playing cards. "Just observing," she told them, tearing open a bag of trail mix. "Who's winning."

"I am," Elle said, setting down more cards.

When she saw Gideon get up, Piper went back to her old spot next to Reid, who was speeding through a book about astrophysics. "You know Saturn would float if you could find a big enough bathtub to put it in?"

"Did he talk to you about what I think he talked to you about?"

"If you were thinking it was about us, yeah, he did."

"And? He was talking to you for a long time."

Reid closed his book, saying, "He's fine with it. And he was giving me, well, advice, I guess. Hey, I've been wondering something. Well, I… do you want to be my girlfriend? Like, actual girlfriend?"

"That was part of his advice, wasn't it?" she smiled.

"That's not really an answer, but yeah."

"Well I was getting to my answer, but first I wanted to see how you got to the question. The answer's yes." Reid smiled, Piper leaning onto his shoulder. He took her hand despite the "ooh"s and "aww"s from the rest of the group.

"My man, good for you," Morgan called, Reid nodding awkwardly in response. Gideon nodded to him from a few rows down the plane. Reid smiled a bit, kissing Piper's forehead.


	5. Hawaii

A.N.: Thanks for the review ahowell1993 ! I appreciate it so much! I'm so thankful for all the support I've gotten so far, Y'all are great.

* * *

"What do you mean Elle hung up her badge?"

"No time for small talk, ladies and gents," JJ said, handing out files. "You're all going to like this one. Pack your swimsuits."

"Three pro surfers killed in Hawaii… just a few days before a big tournament that's going to have the whole state flooded with pro surfers. Nice," Morgan commented, leaning back in his chair.

"They were all women," Piper observed. "There's got to be a sexual element here, especially since they were all stabbed in the chest and the genitals. Paranoid unsub too, since the eyes were removed."

"Well, we've got an eleven-hour flight to go over this," Gideon told them. "Get your bags."

"Can I come too?"

"Sorry, Garcia, darlin', there's no computer stuff involved," Morgan laughed as they picked up their files and headed out of the door.

"We've got a literal hotel on the beach in Hawaii," Piper laughed as she dropped her bag in her room, meeting Reid in the hall. "I don't think I've made it to the beach more than once since I've been at the Bureau."

They wound up at the morgue, taking a look at the bodies that had been brought in over the last few days. "Hi Dr. Hooper, I'm Dr. Marston and this is Dr. Reid," Piper introduced herself to the medical examiner.

"They were all found on the beach, washed up like the Black Dahlia," Dr. Hooper told her, pulling the plastic sheeting off of the first body.

"Actually, the Black Dahlia was found in a vacant lot," Reid corrected. "You're probably thinking of the Somerton man back in the 1940s."

"Yeah, let's see the others," Piper said, stepping over to the next lab table. "Well, our unsub's definitely got a type. Young, blonde, athletic. All of them were on the school surf team too, tons of awards and first-place titles. Surfing prodigies when they were kids, kept it up into college. They all went to the University of Hawaii. Maybe that's a link too. Our guy would have to be strong to take them, even by surprise. Look at the muscles on all of these women. They trained for hours every day. He probably knew them at the school, watched them for months. He was probably on the surf team with them, liked to watch them while they practiced. Never quite knew how to approach them, but he watched from a distance. Sexual sadists are like that."

"Thank you for letting us see them," Reid nodded, taking a few notes and following Piper out the door. "You've been more help than you know."

Outside of the morgue, they turned to each other, agreeing that, "There's been one found every other morning. They got one today, that means we have a little less than 40 hours, give or take. We've got to catch this guy before he takes another girl.."

The team sat around the breakfast area of the hotel that night, their files spread all over the tables that had been pushed together. Garcia was on speakerphone, saying that she was already running through the list of students on the surf team at the University of Hawaii, trying to see if anyone there had a reason to kill the girls. "I've got one who was arrested as a peeping Tom a few years ago," she said over the phone, "I'll send you his address. There's another from a year back, a different kid with a record of assault and battery on… his girlfriend. Nearly beat her to death and threatened her with a knife."

"We'll check them both out," Hotch said with a nod. "Let us know if there's anything else that comes up. Get us names and addresses."

"We've got to find these kids now, before anyone else gets killed. He should be hunting tonight," Gideon ruled. "Reid, Piper, find Anthony Jones. Morgan, Hotch, Adam Lynch. I'll keep Garcia on the line, see if I can get you any other names."

"We're on it." They split up, agreeing to call if anything seemed off.

Piper drove with a lead foot, speeding over to the house to find Anthony Jones asleep on his sofa. "What's this about?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. One of his roommates was peering out of a door upstairs as they went inside. "What's going on, man? We've got finals next week, let me sleep."

"I'm sorry, we're with the FBI, and we need to ask you a few questions." Piper didn't get much further than that. Her phone started ringing, so she stepped into the hall, leaving Reid to start interviewing the boy. "Hey, Hotch, what's up?"

One of the roommates had walked into the hall, giving her a quizzical look. "Are you really FBI?"

"Yes." She went back to her conversation, asking, "What's going on?"

"Adam Lynch is in custody. We got him on his way back into his house, covered in blood. Knife was in the back seat of his car."

"Does this have something to do with those girls? They're all over the news."

Piper ignored him, talking to Hotch instead. "That's a rather, excuse the wording, cut-and-dry case. Reid and I will pack up and head back."

"Hey, we're spending another day here, you know, to get a good profile. It should only take a few hours in the morning, though, and our flight won't leave until 7 in the evening. In case you wanted to walk outside of your room and hit the beach," he told her.

"Why are you talking to Tony? What's he done?"

"I'll see you in a little bit, hotch. And I want to see you out there hitting the beach with us," Piper said, hanging up with him and turning to the roommate. He looked like he was living on sodas and energy drinks, and had Ramen noodles dripped all over his shirt. "It was in connection with a case we're working on, but we found who we were looking for. Reid! They got our unsub. Let's go!"

They made it back to the hotel around midnight, meeting up in the breakfast room, where their tables were still pushed together and covered in files, with Gideon manning the phone. He had just hung up with the sheriff's office, saying that, "He admitted everything. He'd watched those girls for months, even tried talking to one of them. But she blew him off for a guy named Ryan who had been on the team."

They spent a little while talking about what they were planning for the next day - they would be meeting up at the police station to talk to Adam Lynch, who the police were already questioning. But after that, Gideon was planning on fishing all afternoon, and the others were going to hit the beach for some well-deserved rest. "For now, get some sleep, everybody," Hotch said, throwing his coffee cup into the trash from where he sat.

They all stood, heading for their rooms. In the elevator, JJ yawned, saying, "I'm crashing as soon as I get into my room. Screw trying to shower, I can do that in the morning. I'm kicking my shoes off and sleeping in my clothes."

"I'm hitting 'snooze' as many times as I can, so I'm getting a shower in tonight," Morgan countered. "I want just enough time to brush my teeth and shave in the morning."

Piper was sitting in bed reading when there was a knock on her door. She already knew it was Reid, who had taken to talking to her when he couldn't sleep, which was a lot. Back at home, he'd text her to see if she was awake. She'd convinced him to get a real laptop and when he finally bought one, taught him how to use Skype, so they would sit up for a while, video chatting. He stood there in his pajamas, the yellow lights of the hotel hall reflecting off of his glasses. He'd already taken his contacts out, which meant he had tried to sleep, but had probably tossed and turned for a while before he decided to come over. He did that a lot. He'd always be wearing glasses when he called her. "Hey, you."

"Hey." He sat down on her bed, picking up the book she had been reading. "You're reading up on astrophysics too?"

"I figured I'd try to understand some of the things you tell me about the universe," she mused, sitting down next to him. "You know, there was this guy who would stand in the free speech zone back when I was in college, just yelling about stuff like this. He'd tried to rewrite string theory, and a lot of it made sense, but no.. no, I wasn't about to try to fish though his blog to see what could work and what was absolute bullshit."

"Cool."

"Tell me something sciencey. Dazzle me with your knowledge," she pressed, Reid smiling. "Or tell me what's keeping you up."

"Do you ever feel like you're different-"

"Spencer, you've got an IQ of 187, you can read thousands of words a minute, and you graduated high school at 12. Of course you're different."

"No, I mean… I swear I heard something today, something that wasn't there. It's happened once or twice before. I know it's normal to do that ever so often, but, Piper, it scares the hell out of me whenever I think I hear or see something that other people don't. I know it's probably nothing, but I can't stop thinking about it."

Piper took his hand, saying, "It's okay. I know it's scary. I know what it's like to be afraid of what you're going to think, what you're going to feel the next day." He turned to look at her, meeting her eye and silently asking a question. "I never really got it checked out, but there are periods of time where I want to do a million things at once, where I can write thousands of words in a few hours, where I feel like I can do anything and everything. But I always know I'm going to crash when that wears off, and then I'll feel so hollow. Then it's back to baseline before another… well, it's not really a manic phase, but I guess? It's called-"

"Cyclothymia," Reid finished, putting an arm around her. "I read about it while I was doing research on schizophrenia. It's present in 0.4 to 1% of the population, but the diagnosis is getting better understood every year. I mean… I know that's not what you need to hear, but… well, I'm here if you need anything."

"Look, I promise I'll tell you - if you don't notice - when it shifts. And I promise I'll be here if you feel like you're actually hearing or seeing things that aren't there any more than the rest of us would. But for now, we're in a hotel on the beaches of Hawaii. We should at least try to enjoy ourselves."

He swallowed nervously, saying, "Oh, uh, I'm good."

"What?"

"Hotel room… enjoy ourselves… I'm good." He refused to meet her eye again. "Not now."

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant the beach, tomorrow." He was quiet, Piper asking, "Spence, is something wrong?"

"I don't… look at people like that."

"What do you mean?" She rubbed his hand with her thumb, waiting.

"It's kind of hard to explain. I don't look at people and… and want to sleep with them. I'm not attracted to people like that. I mean, it's not that you're not pretty, because you are, you're beautiful," he pressed, the words all rushing out at once. Piper could tell this was something he'd been thinking about for a while, something he'd probably never told anyone before. "It's just that I don't look at people - at anyone - and feel like that. I really like being with you, though. You make me ridiculously happy, and I really like spending time with you, and you're so nice to me, even though I don't deserve it. But I don't feel like that, and it seems so weird to say, especially since I'm already bad at relationships, well, at talking to people in general, and I'm sure this makes it worse, but -"

"No," Piper stopped him, squeezing his hand. "Spence, it's okay. 1% of the population is asexual, and that's fine. I'm just glad you're comfortable enough to tell me."

"You're not… mad?"

"Why would I be?" she asked, Reid finally looking back at her. "You're just being you, Spence. There's nothing wrong with that."

"And you're not disappointed?"

"No," she promised, kissing his cheek. "It's okay. I'm glad you told me, though."

He sighed, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you." She heard him sniffle before he said, "You're the first person… the first person I've actually said that out loud to. You don't know how it feels to know you're not strange. And that you… that you still like me even though you know."

"Spence, do you want to stay here tonight?" He was silent, Piper laughing a bit. "Not like that. Never like that, if you don't want to. I just meant do you want someone to sleep next to tonight?"

"I think I'd like that." He set his glasses and her book down on the table beside her bed, Piper placing her glasses next to him. They sat up talking for a while, even after she had turned the lights out. Reid pulled her close, saying something about brain chemicals that Piper wouldn't remember in the morning because she was already half asleep when he opened his mouth. Falling asleep with her in his arms, Reid smiled to himself. Maybe it was possible to live a normal life.


	6. Mrs Reid

"We've got an unsub kidnapping and killing prostitutes," JJ reported, passing files around as the Behavioral Analysis team walked into the conference room. "They're showing up in front of prominent buildings, displayed with warnings that the unsub is coming after the unrighteous."

"Notes left at the scene, cut and pasted from Bible passages," Gideon noted, flipping through the pages she had collected for them. "We've got to stop this guy before he starts killing tourists too. This whole city is built on unrighteousness."

"Hey, sorry, subway traffic was a nightmare," Reid said, jogging into the room. "Where are we headed?"

"Vegas."

Reid nodded, thinking that it was about time that he paid his mother a visit. But with the rest of the team there, it might be difficult to get out of the office alone. He was quiet on the flight there, pretending to read and watching the others. Piper dropped into the seat next to him. "The Spencer Reid I know would have finished that book half an hour ago. What's going on?"

"My mom lives in Las Vegas," Reid told her, setting his book aside. "I haven't seen her in over a year."

"You should drop in and say hi then."

"It's not that easy," he sighed, reaching for her hand. "She's in a mental hospital. It's hard to visit, even once a year."

"I'm sure it would make her happy. I'll come with you, if you want," Piper offered. Reid nodded, thinking.

"We're likely looking for someone guarding their sexual issues with religious fanaticism," Hotchner said, taking a seat across from them. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"Killing of prostitutes adds up. Using a gun makes it less personal, more guarded. Religious overtones in the notes show a strong delusion, he's thinking he can cleanse the city of its unrighteousness," Reid said quickly, his expression changing. Piper didn't let go of his hand, watching him talk. "We're looking for a man who's recently shifted into a religious fervor, one who hunts the streets at night and probably isn't as charming and good looking as he'd like to be to get them into his car. He uses a gun because it's less personal, but he doesn't shoot execution-style because he isn't trained. He only approaches them after they're dead - he's got a fear of women, something telling him he can't handle them unless they're already dead."

"Reid, that's all great, but I just asked if I'd interrupted your conversation. No need to intellectualize." Hotchner stood, heading back to where most of the others were sitting discussing the case. He said a few words to them, taking a seat next to Gideon and conferring with him about something that seemed important.

"You give him a pretty full profile just because he walked up and asked what we were talking about," Piper remarked. Reid shrugged it off, picking his book up again. Piper knew he wasn't quite reading, but she sat there quietly, holding his hand and looking out of the window.

When they landed, they immediately split off into groups, JJ and Piper walking the Las Vegas Strip looking for potential victims and the others heading to the morgue and police department. "There's no way we can warn all of these women in time," Piper said, looking around as the sun began to set. "He's been killing one person practically every night. They're all probably already on edge, but…"

"We've just got to get to as many of these women as we can. Sex workers usually travel in groups for protection, and they won't split off until they have a client. Lots of these women already know how to protect themselves," JJ offered.

Piper sighed. "It's not enough. Everything they're doing to protect themselves and each other, it's not working. We've worked so many of these cases in cities all over the place, and still… it's just sad that these women live such dangerous lives just to make a living."

They turned the corner, both women stopping in their tracks. "Call Gideon. We've got another one." Stepping up to the body, Piper read the note aloud. "'Here's another one of those unrighteous women. One by one, I will cleanse this city of its lecherous women, its gambling men, and' - I think this says 'all its sinners', but I'm not sure."

Twenty minutes later, the group was standing over the crime scene, some of them talking to the medical examiner's office team that had come for the body, some of them combing the alley for evidence, and some of them helping to process the evidence that had already been collected. Reid was deciphering the note, comparing it to the text of the others that had been sent over by Garcia. "It looks like he's taking his religious manifesto pretty far, and he's certainly keeping with the way he wrote the others. It's a weird formal type of writing, one you would see from-"

"A shooter thinking he's doing the work of God. He's convinced he's a prophet, or an angel, or a reaper or something," Morgan finished, walking up to the table where Reid had set up. "He probably dropped out of his normal life a while back and has been picking up jobs as he needed them. Something close to a church or religious group would suit him. Maybe an evangelist group or something that serves others."

"So we're looking for a young man, history of sexual problems, turned to religion, working in a religious institution in an unskilled job, possibly does the landscaping for a church or works in a homeless shelter affiliated with a religious institution," Gideon nodded, walking up to them. "Good work. I'll have JJ put it out there as soon as we can get a press conference set up. It'll probably be in the morning. For now, you're all at liberty to enjoy yourselves. There's no sense in trying to stop a murder that's already happened."

The next morning, as JJ made her announcement on the morning news, Reid and Piper drove a little ways out of the city, parking at a hospital and taking a shuttle over to the mental health wing. "She's gotten better, or at least stabilized," Reid warned her, Piper taking his hand as she saw his expression drop when he glanced at the door. He held onto her tightly, saying, "There's a chance that this could be one of her bad days. you're … she's not going to be the best if it's not a good day."

"It's fine." She signed them in at the visitor's desk, handing Reid a badge as they walked. "The main room is this way, right?"

They paused at the door, Reid looking to where his mother sat with one of her journals, her back turned to them. "Bennington's been a good place for her. She writes a lot, and she reads a lot when she's not in the middle of a serious episode. She's probably having a pretty good day." He took a deep breath, leading Piper over to where his mother sat. the woman closed her notebook as they sat down.

"Spencer!"

"Hi Mom."

"I haven't seen you in ages."

"I know, I'm sorry. Mom, this is Piper. We work together at the BAU."

"It's nice to meet you, dear," she smiled, giving Piper a hug. "Spencer's told me a lot about you."

"Really?" Piper asked, looking over to Reid. He had settled back into his chair and taken her hand out of habit. "What has he told you?"

"He wrote me about how he had met this lovely girl at work, how he wanted to spend more time with her, but didn't know how. I told him he reminded me of an epic hero from - well, it was this story from the 15th century. Guy meets a girl, she's out of his league, he ends up winning her over. Spencer told me all about your adventures with the FBI, and how you two had gone out together. He tells me you're such a sweet girl. I can tell that just by looking at you." Piper smiled, immediately warming up to her.

"He's told me a lot about you too," she said. "How you read to him every day as a child, how you taught him so much, how wonderful you were when his father left."

"He speaks very highly of you too," Piper assured her. "What were you writing before we got here, if I may ask?"

"About you two, actually. I write all about the stories Spencer sends me. He writes me almost every day, you know. This one was about a case back in Hawaii from a few weeks ago. I have some writing to catch up on, since I'd been sick back then. He told me about how you're always willing to sit up and talk with him. You're such a nice girl. I'm glad Spencer found you."

They spent the next few hours talking with her, having lunch and discussing some of the cases they worked on and other things that Reid's mother had missed. Piper told her about her childhood, how she came to work with the BAU, and how they were looking for a killer that was prowling the Las Vegas Strip. "You know, I bet he's hearing things telling him who to go after. Telling him that if he doesn't, he's going to get in trouble."

"Persecutory delusion, it makes sense."

"I'll let Gideon know," Piper said, moving to the hall. She came back in a few minutes, saying, "Hey, Spence, we've got to get going. They've got a couple of suspects that need to be hunted down. It's about six and a half hours until sunset. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Reid."

"Nice to meet you too, dear. I'm glad Spencer has you." She looked to where Reid was already standing in the doorway. "You're good for him. He seems a lot happier - his letters have gotten happier - since he met you. He can hardly go a couple of paragraphs without mentioning your name."

They met up with the rest of the team at the sheriff's office, splitting up to track down a list of possible suspects that Garcia had pulled together from lists of men convicted of stalking, aggravated battery, and indecent exposure in the last six months. Piper and JJ had stayed behind to walk along the strip, trying to see if they could find any suspicious cars matching the description that a few of the women had given them as the sun began to set. They hadn't had much success, but had handed out their numbers to several women, who promised they would call if they saw anything suspicious.

A little while after sunset, they were walking along a dimly-lit section of the road when a car pulled up ahead of them, a couple of women backing away from it. Someone inside was talking loudly, practically yelling at them. There was a clattering sound, both of the agents drawing their weapons as they heard a gun being loaded. "FBI!" Piper called, running for the vehicle. The driver had realized what was going on, and started to pull away from the curb as they shot at its tires, trying to get it to stop.

As JJ pulled out her phone to call the car in, it whipped around and headed right for them, a spray of bullets ricocheting off the walls of nearby abandoned buildings. "Yes, we've got a plate." She listed off the license plate number, turning around to verify with Piper, who had doubled over, clutching her stomach. "Oh God… we need an ambulance. Hotch, get help. She's going to bleed out if we don't get one fast."

Reid and Morgan arrived a moment later. "We heard gunshots," Morgan said, the two of them having jogged over from down the block. Registering what happened, he took out his phone. "I already called an ambulance."

Reid dropped to his knees, shoving JJ over and pressing down on Piper's stomach. He didn't care that he was covered in blood, or that their unsub had driven away and would likely be ditching his car. All he could think of was, "There's a 75.5% survival rate for gunshot wounds, and I don't think he hit anything major."

"Spence, that's not what I need to hear right now," she hissed through gritted teeth, trying to maintain eye contact. "Just tell me-"

"You're going to be okay. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

She could tell he was incredibly scared, but he was holding it together well. The paramedics arrived seconds later, forcing him to step aside. He followed her as closely as he could, holding her hand until they told him to meet them at the hospital. "Please," she begged the man standing closest to her stretcher. "Please… let him come with. I want him here. Please."

The man beckoned to Reid, who jumped into the ambulance, driving away before the others could say a word. He held her hand as the paramedics instructed him to "keep her talking. Don't let her close her eyes."

"You're going to be fine," he kept repeating, trying not to notice how much she was bleeding out, despite the pressure they had on her wound. It was so much blood. He had seen a lot, but never like this. "Piper, they're going to take care of you."

"I'm so scared, Spence," she coughed, wincing in pain. She tried to focus on him instead of all of the beeping monitors and the paramedics who kept moving Reid aside to check on her. "How long have we been driving?"

"Two and a half minutes. You're going to be okay, I promise. Just keep looking at me." He squeezed her hand, Piper squeezing his hand back weakly. "Don't close your eyes." He kissed her cheek as they pulled into the Emergency Room bay, knowing that he would soon be running after her from room to room as they repeatedly denied access to him because he wasn't family, flashing his FBI badge and edging past doctors and nurses with just enough time to see her being moved into another room. "Please don't close your eyes. Piper, look at me. Please, look at me. Piper..."


	7. I Love You

Reid sat outside of operating room, covered in dried blood. He held his head in his hands, Morgan sitting next to him with a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to find something to say. The words went right past his friend, who was just staring at the floor, numbly trying to process what was happening. They had taken her away and right into an OR, but he heard a few doctors saying it didn't look good. Someone had come out of the operating room to ask who he was, and to tell him that she had flat-lined. And then the same nurse had come back, with the same news a few minutes later. Morgan had shown up next, taking his spot next to Reid before the rest of the team filtered in.

As the surgery continued, Reid had gotten a moment alone by ducking into the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror, realizing again that he was covered in Piper's blood. He closed his eyes, gripping the sink as tightly as he could with shaking arms. "You can't... not now," he whispered to himself, a couple of hot tears streaming down his cheeks as he thought of how tightly she had been holding his hand in the ambulance, of the look on her face as she kept her eyes trained on him, of how even now she was fighting to stay alive. "No." He had caught his breath, washed his face off, and headed back out to face the others.

When he got back, JJ was still on the phone with Garcia, trying to keep her voice level as Garcia burst into tears on the other end of the call, and Hotch and Gideon were stoically pacing up and down the hall, exchanging a few words as they passed. "She's almost out, according to a nurse," JJ was telling Garcia, who had been hysterical the minute she found out what had happened in Vegas. "She's a fighter, I'll give her that." She lowered her voice, trying not to make Reid think about it again. He had looked like he was going to pass out when the doctors came out to tell them that, "she's coded twice now."

The lead surgeon opened the door to the OR, Reid looking up. "She's going to be fine," the surgeon promised, shaking their hands as Reid sighed in relief. "I would suggest you go get changed. You can't see her until she's out of Recovery in a few hours, and even then, I'm not supposed to let anyone in outside of visiting hours. Now you're all government officials, so I can bend the rules a bit, but... "

"We understand," Gideon said, shaking her hand. "We'll send Dr. Reid back here, but the rest of us will visit in the morning."

It turned out that Hotch went with when Reid came back to the hospital, since he wanted to update Piper on the case. He said a few words to her before Reid went into the room, promising him that, "I'll be just outside. You deserve some time alone with her." He took a seat on a bench in the hall, Reid walking into the room unsure of what to say.

"Spence?" She smiled a bit, squeezing his hand.

"You don't realize how glad I am to see that smile," he told her, giving her a kiss. "They told me I'm not supposed to be here for too long, but I promise I'll be back as soon as they let visitors in in the morning. Hotch told you that they caught the guy?"

"Yeah. He and Gideon ran the car into an alley and cornered him, right?" Her breathing was shallow, and she looked paler than Reid had ever seen her, but she was talking. Every syllable hurt, and Reid knew she couldn't talk for long, but he was just glad to see her awake.

"Yeah." He was silent for a moment, watching her breathe. "I wish I could stay with you, but they want you to rest. I promise I'll be here in the morning, as soon as they let me in, okay?"

"Okay." She blinked, her eyes growing heavy. "Can I sleep now? I mean, will they let me sleep?"

"I think so," he told her. "Get some rest. I'm going to keep you company tomorrow."

"What about the others?"

"They're coming by to visit and then flying back to D.C. You don't have to worry about it right now." He squeezed her hand, Piper nodding as much as she could.

""What about you?"

He and Hotch had talked about this on the way to the hospital. Hotch had demanded that he was the one to drive, since Reid would have sped through every red light and stop sign, waving his FBI badge if they were ever questioned. It had worked before, with the doctors. "I'm staying here with you. We're flying out in a few days."

"You're staying?"

"I'm not leaving my… my girlfriend alone across the country in the hospital with a gunshot wound," he chuckled. "I might not be the best at this, but I know that's a bad idea."

"I would understand, but I'm glad."

"I'm going to let you get some sleep, okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry if I haven't made too much sense… they've got me on a ton of meds, and I'm still coming back from surgery," she explained.

"It's fine. I'll see you in the morning." He leaned over and gave her a kiss, Piper smiling as she watched him head to the door. He hesitated a bit, giving her time to call back to him.

"Hey, Spence?"

"Yeah? You need me to tell the nurses to get you anything?"

"No, I… I just want to tell you…" He came back to her side, crossing the room in a few steps. He grabbed her hand again, waiting. "I love you." She watched the expression on his face change, apologizing immediately. "I'm so sorry, I… I'm really high on whatever they gave me… I think it's called Dilaudid? It's in a pretty little bottle… I'm sorry, Spence, I'm so sorry…" She closed her eyes, adding, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're alive. And I love you too." He kissed her again, leaving before he could see a couple of tears track down her cheeks as she smiled.

Reid sat in his hotel room, staring blankly at the bloody clothes that he had left on the bathroom floor, shed quickly in order to jump in the shower and get back to Piper. He made up his mind to throw them away, but could barely move. _If you'd been there when it happened, she wouldn't have lost as much blood. She wouldn't have almost died on the table. They said they had to shock her back into sinus rhythm twice. If you'd insisted they wore vests… no, people would have been scared off by them. There has to be something you could have done._ He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small glass bottle. He had swiped it from the hospital. It had been almost too easy. He sat it on his bedside table as he got up to brush his teeth and take his contacts out, glancing back at the bottle every few seconds. He wished more than anything that he could put his pajamas on and walk down the hall to Piper's room, knock on the door, and talk. She'd put down whatever she had been working on, give him a hug and a cup of tea - never coffee, she only drank coffee when she was exhausted - and listen. She would always have a solution, even if it was just to have him lay down next to her and try to fall asleep. It would always work, even if it only quieted his mind for the night.

He sighed, putting the bottle in his bag before laying down and trying to sleep. He left the bathroom light on, like he always did. At home he always had a lamp or a string of Christmas lights or something. The only time he could sleep in the dark was when he was next to Piper. She'd usually offer to leave a light on, but she had forgotten once, and he had managed to fall asleep, knowing that she was right there. He tossed and turned for a while, wishing that she was there. Ultimately, he went down to the lobby, trying to find something to distract himself. "Sour Patch Kids? Really?" Morgan laughed as he saw his fellow agent standing by the vending machine. "My midnight snack is always something salty. Let me guess, you can't sleep either?"

Reid shook his head, dropping into a chair at one of the breakfast tables. "I'll be honest, I can hardly ever sleep on cases if-"

"If she's not here?" Morgan asked, popping a handful of trail mix into his mouth. "We all know you end up visiting her when we're on cases. You two really should just get one room."

"It's not like that, she just helps me sleep. Not like that."

"Whatever you say, bud."

Reid rolled his eyes, standing and heading back to his room. He still couldn't sleep, but he tried. He refused to reach into his bag for the vial and the needle that he had stolen. Piper wouldn't like it. She would hold him, tell him there's no need for it. He thought of her, of how he would see her in a few hours, finally drifting off to a relatively restless sleep as the sun began to rise.

The rest of the team came to visit early, saying their goodbyes and wishing her a quick recovery. Garcia had called right as Piper woke up, saying that she would be there for whatever she needed when she got home. Reid got there around lunch time, having slept in a bit and heading to the hospital as soon as he could. Piper was still in bed, watching the news broadcast of how a killer had been apprehended with help from the FBI. She switched the TV off when he walked in. "Hey, you're looking better already," he smiled, giving her a quick kiss. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead. I was just wondering where you'd gotten to." He sat down next to her on the bed, as gently as he could. Piper still winced a bit, but leaned her head on his shoulder as he put an arm around her.

"I couldn't sleep last night. Slept through my alarm," he confessed, kissing the top of her head. "When we get back to D.C., do you want to stay with me?"

"You'd let me?"

"You're going to need to stay with someone. I mean, you're not going to want to do much other than lay around and watch TV when you're not in physical therapy," he explained. "I live near the Metro station, and close enough to your place that we can run over any time you need anything. You can bring your dog too - he'll need a place to stay, and it would be nice to have company. There's no way you can stay at your place without someone there."

"I would've accepted a 'yeah, I care about you and don't want you to go through any trouble', but that works too," she smiled.

Reid sighed, apologizing again. "I'm so sorry. I should've been there."

"There was nothing you could've done," Piper assured him.

"Mm." He leaned his head on hers with a sigh. "I know. But still. I wish there was something I could've done, some way I could've stopped it. If only I'd seen the pattern earlier, we could've caught him before-"

"Spence," Piper interrupted, "stop. It's okay to feel guilty - it's like survivor's guilt - but there was really nothing we could've done. I'm just glad it wasn't any of the women on the street. The FBI's got far better insurance than most of them are operating on," she smiled. "Hey, you know what, I'll finally be able to be home to give out candy for Halloween. It's next week, isn't it?"

"Yeah. We can dress up and give out candy from my place."

"That's good. I haven't had a real Halloween for years now. I could fix you up with some prosthetic bullet wounds and we can go as Bonnie and Clyde. I mean, mine's real enough," she laughed, clutching her side. "Remind me not to do that for a while."

"I can't make you laugh until you're healed?"

"Nah, I just don't want to pull my stitches right now."

"How were the others?"

Piper sighed, taking a drink from a bottle of water sitting on the table beside her. "Well, they phoned Garcia in and she cried again. Hotch was just Hotch, and Morgan kept trying to get me to smile. JJ's still pretty shaken up - she was with me when it happened, remember? And Gideon was pretty serious. He told me he's sorry, that he's going to send me a crate of books he thinks I'll like, stuff like that. Actually, he's sending them to your place. Morgan told me you two ran into each other last night at the hotel, that you couldn't sleep, so I figured you'd be here a bit late."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I'll be here when visiting hours start tomorrow. I'm getting a closer hotel tonight."

"Spence, do you mind if I take a nap for a little while? I'm exhausted."

Reid sat up, squeezing her shoulder before he stood. "I'm going to run down and get a cup of coffee. Get some rest, and I'll be here when you wake up, right in that chair over there, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Spence."


	8. Happy Halloween

"SSA David Rossi." The man shook Piper's hand, giving her a smile. She still didn't feel right knowing Gideon had left, but Reid had promised he was getting better and would visit them soon. "I'm sorry about what happened, Dr. Marston."

"Nice to meet you, sir. I wish it would've been under better circumstances, but the risk comes with the job," she shrugged. He had come over to visit her and Reid, who was busily decorating for Halloween while Rossi and Piper sat in his kitchen, drinking cups of coffee. Thy had gotten back from Las Vegas that morning, and Reid had nearly gone crazy with the decorations, reminding her that Halloween was only a day away and he was incredibly behind on everything.

"Well, when you're ready to come back to the BAU, I'll be glad to have you. I've heard all about your work."

"I've heard about yours too. And read a lot of your books. Spencer's catching me up on the rest."

There was a loud _CRASH_ from another room, Reid calling out to them. "I'm fine! But have you seen the box labeled 'skeletons'?"

"No," Piper called back, Rossi shaking his head. She turned back to him, saying, "Spencer's a huge fan of Halloween. Apparently he decorates for it for weeks in advance, but this year we were out on a case-"

Rossi's phone rang, the agent picking up immediately. "I see. Okay. Yes, I'll be there soon." He hung up, turning back to her. "It was a pleasure to meet you, but I have to be going. We've got a case out in Montana. Looks like a bad one. Give Reid my regards too, and take it easy on yourself."

Piper spent the rest of the afternoon slowly unpacking as Reid decorated. She would stop to sit down every few minutes, take a few breaths, and check the clock on her phone to see if it was almost time for another pain pill. No matter what, there was still a stabbing pain in her side, something that wouldn't go away for ages. But she managed to do their laundry and make a list of more things she had to get from her apartment. She and Reid had gone there to pick some things up after they had gotten back, but there was still more she needed. Chester, her dog, was happy to see her, though. He didn't quite understand why he couldn't jump up and lick her, but he could tell that something was wrong. He'd taken to Reid's house well, though, and Reid loved him.

Sitting down on Reid's bed, she opened his bag to see if there was anything else that needed to be thrown in the wash. It was full of files and highlighters, but something made a noise in the bottom. She pulled out a small bottle, one that should have been in a hospital. "Spence?"

Reid came running, like he had been doing all day whenever she called for him, thinking that something was wrong. He stopped in the doorway, seeing that she was okay. "What's up?"

She held up the bottle. "What's this?"

With a sigh, he sat down, setting the bag of fake spider webbing he had been working with at his side. "Last year I got captured on a case. Our unsub kept knocking me out with this stuff, and I got hooked. I… I managed to get clean, but it's… it was tempting. It's still sealed, see? I haven't had any, but… hey, can you help me?" He took her hand, helping her get up and leading her to the bathroom. She sat down on the side of the bathtub, waiting.

Reid took the bottle from her, opening it carefully. "You've got this, Spence." She already knew what he was trying to do. Reaching out for his hand, she could see that they were shaking. She squeezed his hand, watching as he opened the bottle and poured it down the sink, dropping the empty container in the trash. "I'm proud of you." He sat down next to her on the edge of the tub, Piper giving him a hug. "That's good."

"Thanks."

"Hey, while we're in here, can I get a hand changing my bandages? I should've done them right after lunch, but that's when Rossi got here."

"Yeah, it's not a problem."

They spent that evening eating dinner on the sofa, watching reruns of old Doctor Who episodes and surrounded by Halloween decorations. Piper was surprised that Reid was such a good cook, but then again, he had had to feed himself and his mother since he was ten. She smiled, laying her head on his shoulder as the end credits scrolled across the screen. "You want anything for dessert? You've earned it, after all of that hospital food and a trip across the country. I think I've got some ice cream somewhere in the freezer."

"That would be nice. I think there's a dalek episode on next, so you'll have to hurry back. Oh, and can you make some tea if you've got it? Well,here, I'll-"

She had started to get up, but Reid stopped her immediately. "No, sit, I've got it." He grabbed their plates, heading for the kitchen. He came back with two coffee cups filled with ice cream. "Sorry, I don't have any real ice cream dishes, and these were the closest. And I didn't know if you wanted whipped cream, so I got you some anyway. You know the first ice cream parlor in America opened in 1776 in New York?"

"Cool. And thanks for the extra whipped cream. And did you know the U.S. is the second-biggest ice cream-eating country, only after New Zealand?"

Reid smiled, sitting down next to her. "I like it. Have you taken all your meds yet?"

"Yeah, all the anti-infection stuff. The pain pills are before bed. You've got chocolate syrup on your nose."

He wiped at his nose, glancing over to where Chester had fallen asleep under the TV. "Speaking of bed, I don't have a spare room, so you can just have mine. I can stay out here on the couch."

"Spence, you can sleep next to me, just be careful that you don't roll over too much in your sleep. I've just got to sleep on my back so I don't crush my stitches."

"You, you'd be okay with that?"

"We've shared beds before," she shrugged, taking another bite of her ice cream.

"That's… it's always been in hotels… this is different."

"How?"

"I don't know, it just feels different. But if you're okay with it…" He shrugged, drinking the last of his ice cream from the coffee mug and smiling at her through a melted ice cream mustache. She laughed a bit, wincing as she moved. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I'll be fine. I've got to get used to it sometime, huh?"

They went to bed early, since they were still readjusting through the jet lag and Piper was exhausted. It was tiring just moving around the little bit she did, but coming back from Las Vegas made it much worse. As she lay down on what would become her side of the bed for a while, she looked over to where Reid was brushing his teeth, the bathroom door cracked open. He was humming something, taking his contacts out when he was done. "I like the Christmas lights," she called.

Pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, Reid came back to sit next to her, gently getting into bed so he wouldn't move her too much. "They're so it's not too dark in here."

"Ah, I get it. They're nice, though. I had a bunch of them up in my dorm in college. I really should put some up at home." She handed him her glasses, adding, "They look even cooler without them. Could you set these on the end table there? Thanks, Spence."

"You're welcome." Reid set his glasses down, turning off the lamp next to his bed so only the strings of lights were still glowing. He rolled over so he could look at her, putting a hand on her arm. "I'm gonna say something that you're going to call cute and Morgan would laugh at me for if you told him. But I wish I could wrap my arms around you and hold you like I could when we were out on cases."

"You'll be able to as soon as I'm healed up enough," she promised. "But yeah, Morgan would make fun of you for that. It is cute, though." She sat up just enough to give him a kiss before lying back down. "God that hurts."

"I'm sorry."

"It's just a fact, Spence."

"Pain isn't objective," he argued. "But studies say it is worse for redheads."

"Well, aren't I lucky?" she sighed, drifting into a restless sleep. She would wake up every few hours in searing pain, dreaming about being shot again. She'd bolt up in bed, an immediate reaction, and then collapse back onto her pillows in pain. Reid would always reach over, letting her dig her nails into his arm until the pain subsided. He knew he would wake up with some bruises, but it would be worth it.

The fourth time she woke up, Reid yawned, reaching out for her. "You okay?"

"No," she finally breathed, reaching for her side. "No, I'm not."

"What's wrong?" He sat up in bed, Piper holding onto him. "Do you want another pain pill?"

"It hurts, but that's not… I keep seeing that car, I keep seeing his face as he shot out at all of us," she confessed, turning her head so she could look at him. "I keep seeing what I saw while I was on that pavement, the coppery smell of all that blood, JJ bending over me, people yelling, you running up. You… I've never seen anyone look so terrified. Then that searing pain and you trying to keep pressure on it. You were all I could focus on. Everyone else just kept fading in and out. I remember… I remember looking you in the eye, trying not to cry because that would make you cry, and we… neither of us would have wanted to be the one to start crying in public. I remember… being in an ambulance, with you. Everything was so bright, but you were the only thing I could focus on. You kept telling me it was going to be okay, even when they were all whispering that it probably wasn't. I remember being so cold, and so scared, and… I wake up in pain, and freezing, and so terrified that I'm about to die..."

Reid hugged her as best she could, kissing her cheek and whispering, "It's over. You're okay. You're with me, and we're back at home. We're going to get ready for Halloween tomorrow, and we're going to live like normal people for a while. Just you and me, okay? You're going to heal up just fine, and no one's going to hurt you again, I promise."

She smiled a bit, giving him a kiss. "I know. But I still keep having that dream. I'd have it in the hospital too. I'm just glad you're here."

They spent the next day finishing up the decorations, and after dinner, Piper and Reid positioned themselves outside, waiting for trick-or-treaters. Reid sat on the steps, Piper on the front porch in a chair, since she still couldn't stand for long periods of time or sit so close to the ground. As the sun went down, hordes of children came down the street, searching for candy. "You know Halloween is the most popular night of the year for abductions and kidnapping?" Reid told her as he went back in for another bag of candy.

"Jack-o'-lanterns were originally made out of turnips," Piper told him when he came back, handing her more candy. "You've got to stop giving me the bowl of chocolate. Half of it's ending up in my stomach and not in plastic pumpkins."

"Trick-or-treat, my FBI familiars," Garcia said, walking up in a brightly-colored bumblebee costume. "I know you're both on leave for now, but I figured I'd drop off the file from the Montana case the rest of the team is working on. And come to check up on you two."

"Well, Spence has got me up and walking around," Piper laughed, Garcia sitting on the top step to talk to her. "It hurts like hell, but I'm alive. I'm gonna make it. And you better believe when I go back to work, I'm going to hunt down as many people like that asshole as I can."

"That's my girl," Garcia smiled, pausing as another group of kids came up to trick-or-treat, Piper passing them all generous handfuls of candy as their parents stood by the road, waiting. "I swear, if they hadn't caught him, I'd have hunted that guy down myself."


	9. A BAU Family Thanksgiving

"Someone gets shot in the US every 4 minutes and 44 seconds," Reid was saying, Piper shaking her head. "Listen, it's not just an FBI problem."

"We need to be making plans for dinner, not telling people about gunshot stats," she reminded him, stopping Hotchner in the middle of the bullpen. "Do you have plans for dinner on Thursday?"

"What's Thursday?"

"Thanksgiving." Piper and Reid had been stopping all of their team members, inviting them over for the last few days. None of them had family close, so they were all going to be getting together. "Worst comes to worst, we have turkey sandwiches on the plane."

"Sure. What do you want me to bring?"

Thursday dawned bright and early, Piper rolling out of bed. She let Reid sleep as she got ready, looking back to where he was lying every few minutes. She had gotten much better, and had gone back to work a few days before. Rossi and Hotch still wouldn't let her get out and run after unsubs, but they made sense. So she spent her time in offices, looking over profiles and trying to get a handle on the personalities of the people they were looking for. Reid would go out on cases, Piper hoping that he would make it back okay. Meanwhile, she was either stationed in a local sherriff's office or holed up with Garcia, processing technical information.

She switched on the coffee maker, Reid stumbling out of his room in his pajamas a few minutes later. His glasses were slightly crooked, but he smiled, kissing her good morning and asking if she wanted him to make breakfast. "Sure. Hop in the shower and I'll finish the coffee, and you can make whatever. I've got to start defrosting some stuff. Everyone's getting here around 3, and I've got dinner scheduled for 4."

"Okay. Are you going to stay in your pajamas all day?"

"Until everyone comes over, why bother dressing up? We're just going to be cleaning and getting stuff ready for dinner."

"Then I guess I'll shower and change right back into mine," he shrugged.

"Glasses too?"

"You look cute in them."

"That's not an answer," Reid protested.

Piper sighed, shaking her head. "Okay, silly, I'll leave it up for interpretation. Read what you want from that, Mr. Profiler."

"Glasses it is, then." Reid disappeared back into his room, Piper pouring herself a cup of coffee. She leaned against the kitchen counter, thinking of how she had ended up there. She and Reid both knew that she would have been able to live on her own a few weeks before. But she hadn't left. In fact, he had told her to stay as long as she wanted. The next night he had asked her to stay, and the next, and the next. It turned into a pattern, one that neither of them wanted to break. She would head home for a few hours every day, pick up some of her things, get her mail, and then go back to Reid's. Walking into her apartment, she found it colder every day, a place that was less lived-in than a real home. When she got back to Reid's, he would be waiting, and Chester would be sitting by the door, listening for the sound of her footsteps on the stairs. It would be warm, and there was always something to make her laugh. It felt good being there, kissing him good morning every day, having dinner together, making lunch for the next day, falling asleep next to him. It felt right.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a phone ringing. It was Reid's, but she had to hunt for it, finding it on a pile of books in the living room. "Reid's phone."

"Hey there, just wanted to know if I was supposed to bring dessert or a side dish," Morgan said on the other end of the call. "I forgot to write it down, and Garcia's telling me it's dessert, but I thought I ought to check."

"Bring dessert," Piper told him, looking at the list they'd made on the kitchen whiteboard. "Garcia's the one who's supposed to bring a side dish. Remind her for me, okay?"

"Not a problem. 3 o'clock?"

"Yep, right around 3. Dinner should be around 4."

"See you two then."

Piper spent the morning cleaning, while Reid made pancakes and assembled things in the kitchen. "Have you seen the - never mind, I found them."

"Spence, you're tearing the kitchen apart," Piper shook her head, leaning on the doorframe. "What are you looking for now?"

"You know that baking dish you made lasagna in the other day?"

"That was yesterday, and it's in the fridge, since we have a lot of leftovers in there," she reminded him, digging the dish out from behind the turkey. "I'll put them in different containers and wash this out for you, okay? Why don't you make sure we have enough plates and silverware for everybody? We can go get some of mine if we don't have enough here."

Reid found Piper sitting on the couch with a cup of tea a little while later. He dropped down beside her, immediately apologizing for shaking the sofa and making her wince. She had gotten much better, but it still hurt sometimes. She could lay on her other side, not the one with the wound, but it was progress. Reid could hug her without her crying out in pain, and she was slowly getting back to normal, even if it meant she still had to take breaks like this. "Hey, I was thinking," he began, Piper turning to him.

"While you were rifling through the cabinets? About what? About how the first Tupperware party was held in 1949 and made it take off after it started as a commercial flop?"

"Not exactly," he told her, Piper taking a sip of her tea. "You're happy here, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Do you want to stay?"

"Like move in? Reid, you have impeccable timing. This isn't a decision we make right before our friends get here for Thanksgiving dinner." She set her teacup down on the coffee table. "It's something serious, and this isn't the best timing."

"So that's a no," Reid nodded pensively. Piper grabbed his arm as he tried to get up, stopping him.

"I just said it's something serious to think about. I never said it was a no," she corrected. "I like it here, with you. I can't imagine anything different. I can't imagine what going back home would be like. It's funny, you get used to waking up next to someone and it's like you can't imagine a time when you didn't. I think it's a good idea, actually. I like you, a hell of a lot. And living with you for a month hasn't driven me crazy yet," she laughed.

"Can I tell you one more thing that's not really a good conversation piece right before we have to get ready to have guests over?"

"Go ahead, I guess."

"I love you."

"I love you too." She leaned over a bit and kissed him, Reid pulling her close, careful not to hit her side. They lay there on the couch together for a while, until JJ texted and said she and Garcia were running to the store and asked if they needed anything else. "I guess we have to get up now, huh?"

"Yeah, I think we have to start cooking."

They spent the rest of their time in the kitchen, getting things ready for dinner and taking turns running to get ready. Piper was just putting her earrings on when there was a knock on the door, Hotch standing there with a tray of food. "Hey, how are you?" he smiled, giving Piper a hug. "Nice to see you too, Reid."

JJ and Garcia arrived together, followed by Morgan, who had driven to the next block to park. Rossi followed, apologizing for being a few minutes late. He had swung by the office and had stopped to talk to another agent. They had all just settled down at the table and had a glass of wine when there was a knock at the door. Piper looked to Reid, who shrugged. "We're not expecting anyone else, are we?"

Reid shook his head, following Piper to the door. He had a hand on his gun as she looked out the peephole, taking a step back in surprise. "Oh my…" She wrenched the door open, giving Gideon a hug on the doorstep. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I heard you were all getting together, and it's best to have Thanksgiving with family, isn't it? I hope you don't mind," he said, stepping inside and hanging his coat by the door. "It's good to see you up and around again."

"It's been a lot, but Spencer's been an angel about it," Piper smiled as she poured him a cup of coffee. "He's let me crash here for a while, and he's… he's just been the best." She could never tell them about how she would still wake up in the middle of the night, clutching Reid as she tried to calm herself down from the panic of reliving being shot in her dreams. Or about how he would sit up and talk to her, tell her about being held hostage by a serial killer, tell her about how he struggled with an addiction to pain meds, about his childhood, about the messed up things he had gone through. She could never mention the agony she would feel when she woke up in the first few weeks she was home and the painkillers had fully worn off, how she would make Reid grab the bottle and a glass of water as tears streamed down her face, how he would hold her as tightly as he could until the pills took effect, whispering stories about cases he had worked on into her ear to distract her. So all she could say was, "He's been amazing."

They sat talking and eating for hours, finally able to have fun and enjoy each other's company without having a corpse or a missing person to worry about. Piper and Garcia got up to grab dessert, Garcia stopping her in the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine, why?"

Garcia set down the pie she had grabbed from the fridge, telling her candidly, "I got shot a few years back. It really messed me up. I kept reliving it, and it," she grimaced, "it was horrible. I still dream about it sometimes. It's okay if you do too."

Piper leaned on the kitchen counter, nodding. "They wake me up… it used to be every night. Now it's every other night. I've had three good nights in a row, actually, but they still happen. I'll wake up freezing, and everything hurts, and… all I can do is lay there with Spence and pray that it doesn't happen again. He'll sit there and talk to me for hours if he has to, until I fall asleep again. He's never once complained about it."

"Everything alright?" Reid asked, walking into the kitchen. "You two holding a secret meeting?" He looked to Piper, seeing that she was quickly wiping at her eyes. "Hey, Garcia, could you give us a minute?"

Garcia nodded, squeezing Piper's hand before taking the pie and a tray of cookies out to the others. "I'm sorry, Spence. It's just-"

"I know." He wrapped his arms around her, saying, "It's okay. You don't have to apologize for anything. She's the perfect person to talk to, actually. She's gone through a lot of the same stuff. Except the guy who shot her bought her dinner first."

Piper took a deep breath. "I'm so glad I have you."

"I'm glad I have you too."

"Look at us, two terribly broken people trying to make the best of our lives," she smiled. "We should get back to our friends, before Morgan comes in here to see what's going on." Taking a step back, she let go of him, grabbing another pie that had been sitting on the counter. "Why don't you put on a pot of coffee and grab some more forks?"

"Yeah. Hey, we never went around and said what we're thankful for. But I'm thankful you made it here."

"I'm thankful I found you." Piper gave him a peck on the cheek before heading back to the others, loudly asking, "Who wants apple pie?"

Reid turned the coffee maker on, smiling to himself. He was glad they had all managed to have a normal holiday together for once. Listening to his friends talk over dessert, he was just thinking that it was good to have a family like that, good to be living a normal life again, when Piper came back, Hotch trailing her. "We've got to get some sleep after dessert. There's a case out in Kentucky we've got to leave for in the morning. So much for a restful holiday."


	10. Richmond

It had started to snow over Quantico, Piper and Reid decorating their cubicles and passing candy canes out to the others. They had put up a Christmas tree at home weeks ago, and passed out chocolate coins for every day of Hanukkah. Reid was just finishing the decorations on the conference room when JJ came in, saying that they had a new case. She was followed by the rest of the team, Reid sighing that, "There's no rest for the wicked. Or the people who catch them, I guess."

"You've got that right, Pretty Boy," Morgan nodded, taking a sip of the hot chocolate Garcia had brought around the office earlier. "What have we got, Garcia?"

"A series of kidnappings and extortions that ended in murder," JJ said, handing out files. She stepped up to her projector, showing a few photos. "The unsub is taking them from public places, having them withdraw hundreds of dollars from their bank accounts, and then kidnapping and killing them. Every person was recorded on bank security cameras making their withdraws, getting into cabs, and then never being seen again. Well, until their bodies washed up on the riverbank. There have been four so far."

"Where are we headed?" Piper asked, looking through the file for details.

"Richmond. Not too far."

"Road trip, that's great!" That was Reid, who was already planning out what they would all be doing in the car. "Lots of books on tape and-"

"You can ride with Piper, then," JJ nodded, clicking the projector off. "I need a nap."

They met up once again at the Richmond Police Department, where Rossi split them up, sending Piper and JJ to the morgue. They met the medical examiner outside, introducing themselves and heading inside. "There were no signs of a struggle, really. They were all killed differently, but made to look like suicides. I'll tell you, I have no idea how these people died… managed to die. This one here," the medical examiner said, pulling a sheet off of the first autopsy table, "was strangled. But he did it himself, with his own hands."

"That's impossible," Piper said, looking closer at the body. "There's a function in the brain that keeps you alive, no matter what… it would practically force you to let go, to pull your hands away from your neck. Even if the unsub had a gun to his head, he wouldn't have been able to do this."

"How were the others killed? Same impossibilities?" JJ asked.

The medical examiner nodded, showing them the other bodies. "Immolation, a jump from an 11-story building, and something close to ritual disembowelment. I didn't think they were linked until they found the surveillance footage of all of them at their banks, taking money out of their accounts before hopping in cabs and disappearing until they showed up dead in local parks, on the river bank, or at the bottom of a building in the middle of the city."

"All public places. It's surprising that no one's seen our unsub."

JJ nodded, peering over the autopsy tables. "But maybe he's on camera somewhere. The cabs take these people to some unknown location, but they always come back towards the city and die in open spaces. There's got to be something on tape."

"I'll give Hotch a call on the way back, have him pull tapes from earlier in the day around the parks, the river, and the buildings they were found near." Piper pulled her phone out of her pocket. "No service down here."

"You know, there's no pattern here. We've got men and women, ranging from 22 to 56," JJ brought up as they drove home. "There's a variety of killing styles, and they were all found in different places. The only thing they have in common is the bank withdrawals. And the fact that they were staged to look like suicides."

Morgan had taken over a desk in the police department, trying to connect video footage with the maps that Reid was outlining when they got back. "How would he manage to get them to jump from buildings, to gut themselves, to… to burn themselves alive? What kind of threat makes that seem like the best option?"

"Maybe he wasn't threatening them. What if he was threatening to hurt someone they cared about?" Reid asked, looking over to Piper. "Their kids, their wives, their best friends… what if he convinced them that they were going to die if the victims didn't kill themselves first?"

"It would be hard to do, but not impossible," Morgan nodded. "Were looking for someone intimidating, forcing people to cash out their bank accounts and practically kill themselves. But not too intimidating. He can move around the city unnoticed. Imposing, but not too imposing."

"There's a variety of methods," JJ added. "He's experimenting, trying to see how far people will go to protect the people they care about."

"That means we're almost certainly dealing with someone with antisocial personality disorder," Reid chimed in. "Experimentation with human emotions is characteristic of some sociopathic offenders."

"It's possible the unsub has an accomplice," Rossi deduced from his chair. "Someone to stay with the loved ones, or at least keep them under surveillance, allowing our unsub to threaten the victims, make them feel threatened enough that they were willing to die for the people they loved."

"How many people would really die for someone like that?" Reid asked, not looking up from his map as he triangulated the disappearance and kill spots.

"You really do not want to be saying that with her in the room, man," Morgan told him, looking to Piper.

"It's okay," Piper sighed, sitting on the corner of the desk. She ran a hand through Reid's hair, saying, "He's not really paying attention. Besides, I think he's on to something."

"This area here is likely where he lives and works," Reid determined, holding up the map. "The banks and the areas where the bodies were found all border this area. Unfortunately, it's full of apartments and homes, and a big part of it is a business district, so he could be living or working anywhere in this area."

"We'll start sorting through the video footage to see if we can get anything from it," Rossi ruled. "Garcia can run for faces, but we're going to need you all to start matching them up, seeing if there are patterns. Her programming can only go so far."

"I'll get Garcia working on it now," Hotch nodded, pulling his phone out and calling her office. "Meanwhile, the rest of you can get familiar with the sites. I'm going to have you all divide and conquer them in the morning, and then I'll need interviews with the people they were closest to. Friends, relatives, spouses, anyone who could have been threatened. Find out if they saw anything odd around the time of the disappearances. That's our best bet as of now. Hey, Garcia, how's the research going?"

That night they sat in their hotel room, Piper reading a local newspaper article about the killings. Reid had been flipping through a magazine, discarding it lazily. He yawned, cleaning his glasses on his shirt as Piper asked, "Did you really mean that, what you said earlier?"

"About how this guy has to be a sociopath? Of course. One percent of the population has antisocial personality disorder, and up to three percent exhibit sociopathic traits that are significant, even if they never act out," he said.

"I meant when you asked how many people would really risk their lives for someone they care about," she answered, setting her newspaper down and putting her glasses back on.

"I feel like there is no good answer here," Reid admitted, taking a seat on the end of the bed.

"No, it's just a question about your philosophy. I'm not asking if you would die for me. Hell, we've only been together for a few months. But I just wanted to gauge if you thought people actually would do that, or if you thought it would be more realistic to deny that anyone would," she shrugged, setting the paper aside. "It's a profiler's kind of question, I guess."

"You wanted to see how jaded I am," Reid concluded, moving to sit next to her. He wrapped his arms around Piper, laying his head on her shoulder. "I'm not too jaded, I promise. I just don't trust people as easily as most, I guess."

"You know, any time I get slightly pissed at you, you do that."

"Do what?"

"You look at me like that, you hug me, and you make me wonder why I ever was mad at you in the first place. You kiss me and you say a couple of words, and suddenly it makes it all better. Spencer Reid, you… you're aggravating as hell sometimes, but you do make me smile," she confessed, hugging him back.

"Thanks, I guess." He set his glasses on the table at the side of the bed, Piper doing the same. As she switched the lap off, leaving only the bathroom light glowing, he lay down beside her, adding, "This… this is the way every day should end on a case. Just us, here, together."

"Mhm," Piper agreed. "Besides, it'll save the Bureau money, won't it?"

"Huh?"  
"One hotel room."

"Oh, yeah."

Piper woke up first the next morning, Reid getting up only because he felt her move. He held on to her for a while, the two of them only getting up because their alarm went off. "I'm going to run to the lobby and get us some coffee, okay?'

"Perfect. You know how I like mine," she said, standing in front of the bathroom mirror.

"Two creams, one sugar. Want a piece of toast or anything?"

"Ooh, check and see if they have those little boxes of cereal we can eat on the road. I'll shove some of them in my bag and we can eat on the way to the police department. Have you seen my watch?"

When Reid got back to the room, he found the door ajar. Piper was missing, but her purse and her phone were still where she had left them. Immediately, Reid knew something was wrong. He went down the hall, knocking on the rest of the team's doors. None of them had seen her, but they had heard footsteps in the hall. "It has to be our unsub," Reid told Rossi, who was standing in his doorway. "This feels wrong. She wouldn't just disappear like that, and she would never leave her phone."

"Okay, so we're operating on the fact that this guy has an FBI agent. That means he's either going to be making contact with us soon or he's going to have someone watching us. Watching you, to be specific," Rossi nodded to Reid. "We've got to keep our eyes out."

"We've got to find her," Reid protested. "We've got about 72 hours until she winds up dead, at least if he's following his pattern."

"Morgan, stay with Reid. We've got to make sure we have eyes on the room if he tries to make contact. JJ, I need you looking through the room. See if the unsub left any trace. Hotchner and I are heading to the police department," Rossi instructed as soon as they were all gathered together in the hallway. He turned to look at Reid, who he knew would be protesting. "Reid, you're not going anywhere. We need you here, not hunting her down."

As JJ started combing through their hotel room, Reid laid down on the bed, closing his eyes. She was supposed to be there. They were supposed to be on their way to the police department together by now. He had only been gone for a few minutes. How had she not put up a fight? Had they taken her by surprise? And how long did they have before they found her in the middle of the city with a gruesome cause of death?


	11. 72 Hours

_Cold. It's so cold. It's got to be snowing outside. There's no light. Night time?_ Piper opened her eyes, looking around. She sat in a basement of some sort - at least it seemed like a basement. There were stairs that led up to a locked door, and a bare floor below. It was freezing, so it must have been somewhere that hadn't been heated in a while. "How did I end up here?" she whispered to herself, slowly getting up to explore the room. The last thing she remembered was standing in front of the bathroom mirror of their hotel room, hearing the door open behind her. She had turned to take her coffee from Reid, but it wasn't Reid, it was… she couldn't remember the face. She was pretty sure it had been a man, but then her memory was blank until now. _How long has it been? Days? I'm not starving. Hours, more likely._

She walked to the door, noticing how cold it was. Wherever she was, it had to be underground. There were no sounds of people outside, so it had to be far away or incredibly well soundproofed. _Think. Try and remember what happened. What he looked like. Where you went. Think. Try to remember._

"Try to remember," Rossi was saying, sitting on the bed with Reid, who hadn't moved all day. JJ had processed the scene, but come up with nothing substantial. There was a lot of dust in the carpet and a bunch of old popcorn swept under the bed, but nothing else. "You left to get coffee, she was standing over by the mirror, and then what happened?"

"I turned left down the hall-"

"Did you pass anyone?"

"No. But our room is on the outside - someone could just drive up-"

"Then what happened?"

"I… I turned left down the hall, and went into the breakfast room. I had my back turned to the windows, the coffee machine was facing the window. I made her coffee first, then mine. They had toast and… blueberry muffins. Her favorite. I grabbed one of those, and I said good morning to the hotel clerk. She'd just come over to plug in the waffle irons… Then I headed back here. The door was open, and she was gone," Reid recounted, looking over to where he had last seen her. "She'd been looking for her watch when I left. It's still over there on the counter. Her gun's still here too."

"Good. whoever this guy is, he's getting bold."

"How did he know we were here?"

"He's probably been monitoring police activity. He's been watching us from the start, maybe even injected himself into the investigation," Rossi suggested. "I've got the others looking for him now. Garcia's trying to trace him or Piper through the hotel security cameras, but half of them have been turned off for months. Budget cuts or something. But I promise you, we're going to bring her back."

The phone rang, both agents looking to it. Rossi reached for the phone before Reid could, listening. "Spence, I'm okay. Tell the others not to worry. I'm - he wants - don't come after me. When the time comes, you'll know what he wants."

The line went dead, Rossi dialing Garcia as Reid asked what was going on. "Garcia, get me a trace on the phone in this room. 133. Now."

"What was that? What's going on? Was that the unsub?"

"Reid, she's alive." He hopped up, ready to get to work, but Rossi stopped him. "You're too close to this. If our profile is correct, they're going to be using you against her, and we need you where we can monitor you."

"There's nothing I can do? Nothing? There's geographic profiling - this makes a totally different grid - and the victimology's changed, and-"

"Reid, we need you to sit tight with us in the police station. It's the best place for you now." Rossi stood, but stopped in his tracks when the television crackled to life. It was an older model, and they hadn't bothered to touch it until now. The grainy image of a woman walking around in what looked like a cellar came up, Reid dropping back onto the bed.

"That's her. Why… they've never contacted us until now."

"Maybe this is the pressure they put the victims under, but in reverse," Rossi suggested, dialing Garcia again. "You could be their real target. But why?"

Piper had noticed that something was off. There was a tiny electrical buzzing coming from one of the walls, something that didn't sound like normal lighting systems. She'd inspected every inch of it, finding a pinhole camera stuck in one of the rafters. "Very good." She turned to see a man standing in the shadow of the stairs, waiting. "I've been watching you. You're smarter than they all were."

"Who are you?"

"Just a fan of your work."

Piper nodded, trying a different tactic. "Thank you. It's not often that we have fans. What's your name?"

"You can call me Joseph."

"So, Joseph," she nodded, sizing him up. She could easily knock him out if she had to. Maybe that's why he had drugged her. But how? "You're incredibly clever, kidnapping an FBI agent. But you've got to know they'll be after you."

"Oh, I know. You're going to talk to them now. Look into the camera and smile, dearie."

Piper looked to see a green light on the camera, showing that she was live. "Hello?"

"Piper?" It was Reid's voice. She couldn't see them, but Joseph had installed a speaker somewhere. "Rossi, she's alive! Where are you? Has he got you-"

"Spence, I don't have long, I don't think. But I'm okay for now, I need you to know that. I have faith in all of you," she spoke quickly, trying to get all of the words out at once. "I know you're all doing your best, and that Sam's watching. It's going to be okay, trust me. I love you."

The light went off, Joseph ending the connection. Piper sighed, closing her eyes for a second. "What do you want?"

"When the time comes, you'll know what I want."

"Who's Sam?" Rossi asked, looking to Reid. He shook his head, Rossi saying that it must have meant something.

"Get Garcia to play the footage again, but slow it down," Reid instructed, suddenly struck by an idea. "Everything looked normal, but it's got to means something." Sure enough, he was right. As he watched the footage again from Rossi's laptop, he ocncluded, "Sam is Samuel Morse. She's blinking in Morse code."

"Oh, you clever girl," Garcia smiled over speakerphone. "What's she saying?"

"She's describing the guy and the area. 'Basement. Cold. Drugged. White. 6 feet. Dark hair. Eyes'," Reid translated. "And…" He sighed, replaying the last few seconds, "Love you. Help.'"

"That's good, Reid. We're going to have to analyze every communication we get from her, in case she's hiding information," Rossi nodded, taking his laptop back. "He's going to have her keep contacting you until he gets what he wants. We've got to take another look at this profile. There's something we're missing. I'm going to have a second base of operations set up here, since this is where he's contacting us."

"He's stepping up," JJ said, coming back into the room with a box of maps and files. "There were four so far, right? The first one, the 22-year old, was a police recruit, just signed the papers to start training. The second was a law student, about to graduate. The third was a retired police officer, and the latest one was about to transfer to the police academy as an instructor, after a successful career. Now we've got an FBI agent missing."

"How is he getting them to come with, though?" Reid wondered. "It would be difficult enough as it is to get a young person, but even more difficult for the others. They had training, they'd been in careers like this for years. They wouldn't have just walked off with the unsub. Piper wouldn't."

"Whatever it was, it took just a few seconds. Needle, maybe?"

"No puncture wounds on the corpses," Hotch reminded them. "It's got to be an inhalant. If it was edible, he would have had to convince them to eat or drink something."

Piper sat in the corner of the room, thinking. There had to be a way out of there. _Take him from behind. Surprise him, get the hell out of here while he's down. What if he has an accomplice? What if this is a whole network? You can't fight all of them, especially if you don't have your gun. Spencer's looking for you. You have to trust him. And the rest of the team. They'll find you. They're much better prepared than you are._ The door creaked open, Joseph appearing down the stairs with a bag of fast food. "Figured you might be getting hungry by now. It's nearly dinner time."

"Why are you doing this?" Piper asked, accepting the food without question.

"You will know when the time comes," he assured her, taking a seat on the stairs. "Eat. You must be starving."

"French fry?"

"You testing me?" Joseph ate a few fries, proving that they weren't poisoned. "Understandable."

"Why are you doing this?" she repeated. "Not why do you have me, why are you doing this? Bringing me food, telling me it's dinner time, not depriving me of basic needs to get what you want."

"Because I don't want to torture you. I just want to talk to you."

Reid was pacing up and down the hallway, watching the sun set from the hotel's windows. JJ and Morgan were sitting in his room, going over the profile and victimologies. Hotch and Rossi had run to the police department, promising that they would bring dinner back as they waited for another communication. Morgan stepped out of the room for a second, catching Reid as he walked back towards their second base of operations. "Look, man, you need to settle down. I know you're going to be up all night, we all are. But you need to rest. You're the one they're watching. They need you. But she needs you even more, man. Piper needs you to be here, to be strong, for her. She can hear us when they call, she needs to hear you. But for now, you need rest. I promise I'll wake you up as soon as they call."

He took a deep breath, following Morgan into the room. Dropping onto the bed, Reid fell into a restless sleep while the others kept working, looking at the maps they had tacked up on the wall, the pictures of the victims, printouts of the calls and videos they had recorded. JJ paced in front of the TV, willing it to turn on, hoping and praying that they would hear from Piper again soon. Garcia was in on the tension, her face on a video call on Rossi's laptop. Even though they didn't need her to run anything at the moment, she had wanted to be there for the rest of the team. Morgan kept reading over what Piper had said in the last transmission, hoping he could find something. "We're looking for a white guy, six feet tall," he muttered to himself. "That could be anyone."

Piper watched Joseph as she ate, the man casually drinking out of a takeout cup. When she had finished, he sighed, saying, "I want you to tell me some things. Do you know why I took you?"

"Because the door was unlocked, I was an easy target, and you drugged me somehow."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I wanted to talk to you. Now you're going to be honest with me, because if you aren't, well, you don't want to know what will happen then. You don't remember how you got here, and you certainly won't remember how you killed yourself. So I just want you to talk to me."

"About what?"

"Tell me about Agent Rossi."


	12. Too Many Variables

A.N.: I'm heading home from university tomorrow! I'll have a bunch of time to write, but I may or may not have WiFi for a few days while my parents get some renovations done on the house. I'll still try to update every few days, though, since there's still a lot to be written! For now, though... enjoy!

* * *

"Why do you want to know about them all?" Piper asked, shivering slightly. It had gotten colder outside. The sun must have gone down. "What are you going to do with it?"

"What do they do, the little things that make you angry? Do they leave coffee cups all over the break room, or leave the toilet seat up on your airplane?" Joseph asked, leaning towards her slightly. "Of do they take your lunch out of the fridge, the food you'd been looking forward to all day?"

Piper shifted in the corner of the room, crossing her arms. It didn't seem like anything dangerous to tell him. At least it would keep him talking. If she kept him talking, it would buy her time. "Rossi's old-fashioned, but it doesn't get in the way of our investigations. Hotch - Hotchner - he's the serious one, takes forever to make him laugh. Morgan's always putting himself in danger, and Garcia's a bit odd, but she's sweet. Reid… Reid drinks too much coffee and keeps me up, but he's… he's Spencer."

"You were staying with him, weren't you?"

Piper nodded. "We've been together for months now. I moved in with him after… after I got hurt on a case. We've got an apartment and a dog, and… do you have a dog? Mine's named Chester. He's not too old, but he's definitely not a puppy any more."

"You love him?"

"I've had him for six and a half years, it's hard not to. Even when he chews up my shoes."

"I meant Reid." Joseph was watching her reaction carefully. "Do you love him?"

Piper's answer was immediate. "Yes. More than anyone."

"He must be annoying, though. He's the young one on the team, the one who tries to prove he's smarter than the rest of you combined."

"He is, half the time. I mean, sure, he can miss the obvious, and he's not the best at picking up on social cues, but what are you gonna do?" she shrugged. "He's sweet."

"Every relationship has its problems," Joseph said, trying to lead her on. "I'm sure there are things he does that tick you off, the little things that build up over time that must be begging to be let out."

"He does forget to wash dishes sometimes," she said, thinking. "And he won't do laundry if he's on a case. He'll drink all the coffee in the house and then wonder where it all went. He's such a smartass sometimes, and… I try not to be annoyed, but people can only take so much of it. He'll wake me up with his theories, and it's like he doesn't realize that everyone has their own problems sometimes, like they don't wake up in the middle of the night reliving what happened to them, that he's not the only one…" She trailed off, realizing that the small green light was glowing on the wall. The camera was on. Reid was watching. Her tone changed immediately. "It's a common reaction to trauma. He intellectualizes and tries to block things out. But no matter what, he… he always is willing to sit up with me, let me talk when I have those dreams… he's always been amazing, through everything, despite everything. Spencer…"

"Maybe you want to tell him that, get all of these things out. It could be the last time you hear him alive."

"What did he just say?" Rossi asked, perched on the end of the bed next to Reid. "Think about the words. He doesn't want to kill her. He wants you."

Piper turned to look at the camera. "Spence, I know you're doing your best. I'm sorry. I know everyone's working on this, I know Garcia's sitting up in her ovvice in the middle of the night working like crazy, Morgan's trying to keep you calm, JJ's pacing and trying to think. Hotch is holding you all together, and Rossi's already got a plan. I know you all are doing great work. I trust you. Spence, I love you."

The tangle of voices on the other end of the call silenced, Reid clearing his throat. His voice was level, but Piper could tell it was just below panic. "Piper, if you can hear me… we're doing everything we can, babe. It's hard, I know, but you'll be back with us in no time. Rossi's got an idea of where you are, and i swear I'm not going to ever let go of you when I get you back."

"Spence, I -" The call cut out, Piper sinking back into her corner.

Joseph smiled at her, taking a bag out of his pocket. It was filled with white dust, something she would have said was cocaine if it had been any run-of-the-mill case. "I think it's time, don't you?"

"Time for what?'

He walked over, striding across the room in a couple of paces. "Do you know what this is?"

"I'd say cocaine, but you're too smart for that."

"Hmm, good job, Miss Profiler."

"What is it time for?" she pressed, trying to back further into the corner.

He smiled malevolently, pouring some of the powder into his hand before blowing it into her face. "This."

Reid and the rest of the team were watching all of this happen, Garcia having hacked into the camera system and transmitting constantly, even when Joseph thought the camera was off. "He's not threatening the loved ones. He's drugging them and seeing how far they'll go, how much they'll trust and listen to him. She's following every command blindly," Morgan realized as they watched. "He's moving up the chain of law enforcement, killing people higher and higher up. She's about to die."

"No," JJ resolved. "No she isn't. He's having her play something out, he's antagonizing her. Oh my God... " She turned to the others, saying, "he's training her, getting her practice. He's going to have her kill someone. And it's going to be big."

"Garcia, any word on the facial recognition system?"

"I've got a Joseph Manuel, record of drug crimes, disappeared to South America for a few years, came back as a drug smuggler," Garcia reported, typing quickly. "He's got a house outside of the city and property… he owns an abandoned building in the shipping district. I'll send the address over in a sec. I bet that's where he's got her."

"They're already on the move," Hotch reported. Joseph had guided Piper up the stairs, leaving the basement room empty. "We're going to need protective details on the city officials."

"There are too many variables," Reid said, shaking his head. "Too many people in the city they could be going after. If he's using her as a killer, it's got to be a target bigger than an FBI agent."

"He's going to get rid of her when he's done," JJ breathed, putting a hand to her mouth. "He's got an ultimate target, and now that he's got a trained fighter bent to his will, he'll get the killing done that he's always been after, then get rid of her and disappear."

"Or he'll keep her and use her to get what he wants if he's cornered. Whatever it is, he's possibly going to use her as a bargaining chip."

"They could be going for the mayor, a federal judge, what's bigger than an FBI agent?" Morgan asked. They heard a noise outside. Someone was coming into the hotel late. Probably another traveler just as tired as they were, looking for a place for the night. But something felt off.

Rossi turned to the window, looking out as the car pulled up, parking in a space close to the room they were all huddled in. He watched Piper get out, seeing that she was armed. "A whole team of FBI agents."


	13. Scopolamine

"You're not serious," Reid said, looking around to everyone pulling out their guns and donning bulletproof vests. He declined the one that Morgan passed over, setting it on the bed instead. "You're not going to seriously-"

"If we have to shoot her, we will," Hotchner resolved, looking to the others, who sighed grimly. "Garcia's already contacted the sheriff to get the unsub outside, as soon as Piper gets out of the car. We just have to control the threat that we know is going to be moving in here."

Reid was pleading with them now, still refusing to don a bulletproof vest. "Let me talk to her. She's got to be-"

"She's under the influence of a powerful drug. She'll do anything he commands her to," Morgan said. "We're just staking precautions. "Put on a vest, man."

"I'll talk to her. She'll listen to me."

There was a knock on the door, Piper demanding to be let in. Everyone but Reid had taken up defensive positions in the room, their weapons ready. Slowly, Morgan opened the door, letting her in. She held her gun up, looking to Rossi, who was by the bed. "Piper, it's us. Take a breath and relax."

"Put your gun down, Derek."

"You can't take all of us, you have to know that," Morgan reasoned.

"It wasn't a lot, whatever that drug was," Hotchner whispered. "It'll be wearing off soon. If you can hold her off until then, she might have a chance." Reid nodded, taking a step towards her.

She turned her gun on him immediately. "I'm not armed," he said, holding his hands up for her to see. "Piper, it's me. It's Spencer."

"You people, I know what you've done."

"He's turned you against us. He's drugged you, Piper."

"Joseph would never!" she spat, the other agents cringing. "He wouldn't… he's always been nice to me."

"Piper, listen," he begged, taking another step towards her, the rest of the team holding their breath. "It's Spencer. Hey, do you remember meeting me? You sat down next to me during your first briefing at the BAU. We just kept talking, even after we'd left the conference room. And remember when they called us in halfway through our first date?"

"It's not true. You're one of them, and you have to die."

"You've been drugged, Piper. It's soemthing called scopolamine. That's what he's been doing. You can't remember everything, can you? It, it's more commonly called Devil's Breath. It comes from the flower of the borrachero plant in South America. It's huge in Columbia, and produces amnesia and effectively knocks out your free will," he told her, trying to keep her focused on the words.

"You've hurt so many people. All of you deserve this," she hissed, looking around the room.

Rossi glanced at the others, giving a nod. _We'll keep her distracted, you all file out of here. The fewer people in here the better._ "Piper, we've worked with you for years. You're one of us."

"I know. And that will be dealt with," she assured them, wheeling around to face the door, which JJ was creeping towards a step at a time. "No one leaves."

"Hey, look at me," Reid instructed, Piper turning to face him. "Piper, you remember me, don't you?"

"You're Spencer Reid. I know who you all are."

JJ slipped out of the room as Reid kept talking, Morgan slowly moving for the door next. "You know me, Piper. You remember how we were sitting in this room talking? You remember all of the hotel rooms we've stayed up talking in, don't you? You remember moving in with me?"

She didn't flinch, Morgan slipping out of the door next. There was a moment of silence before she blinked slowly, as if her vision had gone foggy for a few seconds. "I do."

Reid took another step towards her, Piper lowering her gun slightly as Hotch took a step towards the door. "Remember that day where it was supposed to start snowing, but it just kept raining? We spent all day curled up under a blanket on the couch, watching old Doctor Who reruns. You made like 50 cups of tea and you kept telling me not to drink so much coffee, but I did anyway. We ended up ordering a pizza and talking about all sorts of things late into the night. Remember that?"

"Yeah."

"And how you would wake up from those awful dreams after you got shot, and how we would sit there and talk about the things we've been through? How I'd wrap my arms around you and tell you everything was going to be okay, that I'd be there no matter what?"

She nodded, Reid coming closer. He was close enough to reach out and slowly wrap his hands around hers, pointing her gun towards the ground. She let go, Reid tossing the gun towards the bathroom floor and pulling her into a hug as she began to sob. Suddenly everything was hitting her at once, where she was, what she was about to do. The drugs were wearing off, and she couldn't do anything but sit there, clutching Reid and sobbing. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know… I don't remember… I don't know how I got here. I just figured out where I was a minute ago. Spence, I would've killed you."

"Ssh, it's okay." He ran a hand through her hair, guiding them both to sit down on the bed. "You're going to be okay. I know you wouldn't have hurt me. That's why I was talking to you, and why I'm not wearing a bulletproof vest."

"Did you get him?"

"We got him," Rossi confirmed from the window, where he was watching Joseph get arrested. "He'd been drugging you with a powder that produces amnesia and a high degree of suggestibility."

"You effectively lost your memory and your free will," Reid summed up. "You're not going to remember how you were abducted, or how you got here, or anything that happened any time he drugged you. But he was going to try to get you to kill all of us, and then yourself."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Spence."

"It's okay," he promised. He looked over to where Rossi and Hotch were standing. "Could you give us a little while? I'm sure she'll be willing to talk, but we need some time."

"Of course," Hotch nodded, the two of them heading outside to help the local police force.

"I'll go too." Garcia ended her video call, leaving the two of them alone.

"I know you never meant to hurt us," Reid said, Piper nodding into his chest. "You were drugged. They're not going to hold you responsible for any of this. There will be an internal investigation process, but you'll be fine. They're not going to find anything. You'll be fine."

"He made me tell him about you. About some of the cases we worked on, about the team, about living with you… I made some stuff up, but you know-"

"The best lies have truth mixed in," Reid nodded. "It's okay. He's never going to get out of prison. Four counts of murder, kidnapping, abducting a federal agent, drug smuggling, he's not going to get out." He looked out the window, seeing that the others were watching, finished with the arrest. Joseph had been driven off to jail, and would be processed soon after. Kissing the top of her head, he made sure Piper didn't glance out of the window. "Besides, I'm never going to let anything like that happen again."

"There's no way to promise-"

"I will never disappoint you," he vowed, letting the words sink in. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Rossi's trying to flag us down," Reid told her. "We've got to get up and deal with the fallout of all of this." Piper nodded, Reid helping her get up.

They walked to the door together, pausing at the threshold. "Thank you," she said, grabbing his hand. "Thank you for not letting them kill me."

"They wouldn't have. I've seen much worse, and gotten people out of it."

"Yeah. But still, thanks. Hey, no matter what happens with this guy, I love you."

"I love you too."

"Let's go," Piper resolved, pulling the door open and stepping into the Richmond sun to talk to the others. The team had camped out in a few cars and on the sidewalk, their bulletproof vests stacked to the side. Reid shrugged, following her outside and refusing to let go of her hand. "Hotch, Rossi, I'm so sorry-"

"It's alright," Rossi assured her. "We just need you to tell us as much as you can remember."

Piper went through an entire interview process, raking through her memories. They'd brought her back to the warehouse that Joseph owned, retracing how she had ended up there. Reid had made sure that they didn't spend hours every day in an interrogation room, and he'd kept her away from the majority of the investigation and the interview room when Joseph was marched in. He was doing everything he could for her, trying to keep the investigation centered around Joseph and not around her.

It was New Year's' Eve when Piper walked into the conference room, the others just getting ready to leave for the night. "There's something I've got to tell you all," she began, looking over them all. She and Reid had talked about it for a while the night before, and he'd fully supported her decision. "I'm going to be moving to… well, teaching at the Academy. Shaping young minds and all that. It's just for a little while, while I… while I get my life back together." She looked over to Reid, who nodded in support.

* * *

A.N.: Publishing before my road trip home! My next chapter will be posted from home, but I figured I'd update before I go. Also, I've gotten some questions about what I'm going to do about Maeve, and I promise you, I'll get to that. Don't worry, all will not be well...


	14. Don't Forget Valentine's Day

A.N.: So I'm at our rental house now, and I'm working on some new future chapters. I've got WiFi and a ton of time in the next few weeks, so I'll be watching and writing a lot.

* * *

"So the husband was the killer?" one of her students asked. "How could he have been? Why would he not have killed the kids too? Unless he saw them as an extension of himself and the wife as someone in the way."

"In this scenario, no, it ended up being the neighbor, who had been spying on the wife for almost two and a half years. I'm afraid our time is up. Don't forget to review the case files for next class." Piper sighed, grabbing her bag as the class she had been teaching filed out, chatting among themselves. She took her coffee from her desk, logging out of her computer after closing her presentation on profiling sexual sadists. There wasn't much to be done at home - she just had to finish the next day's presentation and look over a few papers - so she decided to head for the BAU building. "Hey, Garcia, what's up?" She dropped into an office chair, looking over her shoulder.

"I'm working on a final copy of a case file for the Denver debacle y'all took care of," she answered, printing out a copy of a map and cursing at the printer when it jammed.

"You mean the Denver debacle that the team took care of," Piper reminded her with a sigh. "I haven't been out on a case in a month or so now."

"You're video-called in even when you're in class. They need your beautiful brain," Garcia smiled, turning to face her. "I know it's still stressing you out, but it is better than being in the field. At least for your beautiful brain. You do need the rest."

"I like teaching," Piper told her, "I really do. But I don't love it as much as I loved running around after unsubs and catching up on sleep on the jet. I miss it."

Reid was sitting at his desk, finishing up his report for the day. "You make any plans for tonight?" Morgan asked, taking a seat and handing over a cup of coffee.

"What's tonight?" he asked, looking up from his work.

"It's Valentine's day," JJ answered, dropping off a couple of files. "You better have come up with something, because she'll be expecting a present. But good luck getting dinner reservations. Prentiss says she thinks every restaurant in the city is going to be full tonight. I know Will got our table months ago."

"I've got a favor I think I can pull in," Reid nodded. "But presents… I'll think of something."

"Good luck, man."

"Every jewelry store for miles is going to have a line out the door," JJ said, "and you're going to have to go searching for flower shops too."

Reid looked away from his files, distracted by an idea that he had been ruminating on for a while. "Hey, actually, do you remember that thing we were talking about on the plane back from Idaho? Well what do you think if..."

Piper arrived a few minutes later, the rest of the team falling silent as she walked over to their spot in the bullpen. She looked around, seeing a common expression on their faces. "Did I miss something?"

"No," Prentiss smiled knowingly. She had only been with the team for a little while, but Piper liked her well enough. She certainly knew how to do her job well, and they'd gotten along every time they'd seen each other.

"Not at all," Morgan answered. JJ didn't say anything, simply smiling and picking up a file from Morgan's desk.

"Well then, Spence, you ready to go?"

"Uh, yeah." Reid threw his things into his bag, hardly paying attention to what he was grabbing from his desk. "Actually, I've got a phonecall to make really quick. And I've got to drop something off with Hotch before we go. Could you give this to him for me, please?" He handed her a manila envelope, Piper heading off to find Hotch as Reid fished his cell phone from his pocket.

Piper knocked on the office door next to the bullpen, opening it to find Hotch typing up an email. "Hey, Hotch, Reid told me to give this to you."

He paused his work for a second, turning to face her. "Thanks. How are you liking the Academy?"

"It's not as exciting as working with the BAU. And you know how I worry about all of you when you go away."

"I know. Reid tells me he calls you every night to let you know we're all okay. And that you consult a bit too." Hotchner flipped through the file, looking up at Piper. "You do realize this is a bunch of sheets of blank paper, right?" A message appeared on his screen, the agent nodding. "Apparently I wasn't supposed to mention the fact that he was sending you on a pointless errand."

Piper shrugged. "I guess it wasn't pointless, then, if there was a message put out about it. Am I allowed to head back to the bullpen or not?"

"I would assume so," Hotch told her knowingly, seemingly suddenly enlightened. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

"Thanks?" Hotch had already gone back to work, and did not respond. "See you later, then."

Piper and Reid met up in the lobby, heading home together in the afternoon traffic. "What's up with everyone today?" she asked while they were waiting on the Metro. "Everyone seems...off. It's just Valentine's day. I mean, Garcia's been decorating for weeks. The bullpen's been covered in hearts and flowers for a while now. You know she sent me a card over to the Academy?"

"She sent them to the team too," Reid told her distractedly as he checked the Metro map. "Look, I've got to get some running around done. We're working on a case in rural Maryland, about 20 minutes from DC. There are only a couple of things I have to do, and I swear I'll be home in time for dinner."

"I'll leave a plate for you," she sighed as they stepped onto the train. "And I'll assume dinner time is going to be more like 9 or 10."

"Actually, I have reservations for 7. I'll send you the address."

"Really?" Piper smiled, leaning on his shoulder as they sat on the train. "I'm surprised you remembered Valentine's day existed. And that it's today."

"Hey, do you like roses? I realized I never asked. You know, there are 198 million roses sold on Valentine's day every year."

"Roses are nice. This is our stop." They got off the train together, splitting up and agreeing to meet at 7. Reid dashed for another train, Piper leaving the station and heading down the block towards home. She took Chester out, saying hi to a few of the neighbors while they were on the street. It was nice actually being home for a holiday. Well, home and not recuperating from a gunshot wound.

Garcia called as Piper got back and started getting ready for dinner. She set the phone on the vanity as she did her makeup, putting the call on speaker. "Do you know how lucky you are?"

"Uh, I guess," she shrugged, balancing her glasses on top of her head. "I've got Reid, and a good job, and I'm about to go out for dinner with him. He actually remembered Valentine's day. What did you have in mind?"

"I just mean that you two have reservations for one of the most exclusive fancy restaurants on Valentine's day, and," Garcia smiled, "I hacked the place's scheduling system. You've got one of the best tables in the house. Someone went through a lot of trouble to get that."

"Yeah, I bet the owner owed him one," Piper replied, watching Chester walk into the bathroom and lay down on the mat by the shower door. The dog looked up at her, realizing she didn't have any food, and went to sleep on the floor. "He's helped out a few people around the city, made sure they got off of charges that they were innocent of."

She could hear Garcia typing on the other end of the call, letting out a bit of a gasp when she stopped. "Funny, I also took the liberty of hacking into his credit card records and - ooh, nice."

"What?" She grabbed her phone, turning the lights off as she went to find a pair of shoes. "Is he buying time shares in Ohio or something?"

"Oh, no, just a hell of a lot of coffee. He needs an IV line of the stuff," Garcia answered quickly. "Listen, I've got to go - I have dinner plans with that IT guy I told you about. But you have a good night, honey."

"You too." Piper was out the door, running slightly late as she tracked down the address Reid had sent her. She'd spent nearly half an hour in traffic, trying to get off of a bridge. "Shit…" She tried calling Reid, leaving a voicemail that she knew he wouldn't check for a while. "Hey, Spence, it's me. Traffic is terrible, and my maps app isn't helping. I'll see you soon, okay?"

Reid sat at their table, obsessively checking his pocket and his watch. Piper had left him a voicemail, but he didn't want to check it in the middle of the restaurant. When he looked up, she was edging between tables, beaming. He jumped up, giving her an enthusiastic hug. "Sorry I'm so late."

"It's okay. I already ordered wine, it'll be out in a minute. Your favorite, I made sure."

"Spence, what's up?" Piper asked, taking a sip of her wine as soon as it got there. "You've been… different lately. It doesn't take a profiler to notice you've been staying up late at night doing research while I'm asleep, and consulting with the others - especially Morgan - about something. Yeah, I've been watching him too. You've got something spectacular planned, and you're nervous about how you'll pull it off. You've been checking your watch every five seconds, and you're still doing it even though I'm here. You're watching the crowd too. You-"

"Piper, don't profile me," he sighed as he scanned the crowd. "I know you're brilliant, and I know you'll figure everything out in a second. So I'd be better off just… just asking… asking you not to interrupt me, since there's something I want to talk about."

"Okay," she nodded, taking another sip of her wine.

Reid took a deep breath. "It hasn't been ages, but I love you, Piper Marston. You're one of the few people who never tells me to shut up and will be willing to listen to all of the technical things the others won't. You've always been nice to me, and… you just seem to just be able to understand things. You're beautiful, and you have a beautiful brain. Ugh, I'm bad at this, I'm sorry. But I love you, and I like having you staying with me. I never thought I would find someone that would just mesh into my life like you do. I really like it, and I want to keep it like that. I… Piper," he reached into his jacket pocket, taking out a small box, "will you marry me?"

"Oh my god...yes," she smiled, getting up to kiss him. "Spence, I can honestly say you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I love you."

The crowd applauded, everyone's eyes having turned to them as Reid slid out of his chair and onto his knee. "I love you too."


	15. Profiling 101

"You really want to get married?" Reid asked that night, rolling over in bed.

Piper sighed, twisting the ring in her finger. "Of course I do." She gave him a kiss, adding, "I liked you the day I met you. I thought you were funny, and sweet, and absolutely brilliant. And I've thought so ever since. We've been on so many adventures together already. This is just the next one, Spence."

"You're sure?"

"This is stemming from issues with interpersonal relationships, isn't it?" she wondered, rolling over to look at him. She smiled to herself, seeing that his hair was falling into his eyes. She brushed it out of his face while he answered.

"Seems like something a profiler would say."

"Spence-"

"Fine, you're right. You know I'm not the best people-person, and it's constantly amazed me that you chose to be with me, and that you keep choosing to be with me. I'm not the best person," he told her, Piper reaching out for his hand. "I run on facts and numbers and things like this aren't the easiest. But I know I love you."

"I love you too. And I like your facts and numbers. It's nice to know that someone's keeping track of all of the things that most of the world tends to forget. I like that you know all of this stuff, even if everyone else thinks it's useless. You're an amazing profiler and an even better person, Spencer."

Reid smiled, moving closer to wrap his arms around her. "Thank you for… well, everything. For making everything better and more normal."

"Hmm," Piper smiled with a yawn, already halfway asleep. "You're welcome. Thanks for being so wonderful, Spence."

When they got to work the next morning, everyone else was milling around the bullpen, making coffee and talking as their day started. Piper had followed Reid in, since her class didn't start for another half hour and it was only a building away. She would usually make coffee, saying hello to everyone before heading over and unlocking her classroom. This time, however, the whole group looked ot them when they entered, staying silent. "Hey," Piper smiled, walking over to the coffee machine.

"Is that what I think it is?" Garcia asked excitedly, pointing at her left hand.

"Good job, man," Morgan told Reid, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah." Piper held her hand out to let Garcia see, Prentiss coming over to look. JJ joined them a moment later, Hotch coming out of his office to see what was going on. Rossi followed him, congratulating the couple as soon as he saw the crowd around them.

"I've got to get going," Piper said, taking her coffee and hugging all of them. "Class is calling."

"And we have to check out a case in Wyoming," Rossi added, roping the team into the conference room as they continued to congratulate Reid. "Three strangulations in the last week in a little town outside of Cheyenne."

Even after Piper left, the rest of the team kept congratulating Reid, talking about how gorgeous the ring was, and speculating about wedding dates. Piper's students all noticed, asking questions and trying to make a profile of the man who was now her fiance. "It's not too wise to speculate without a lot of facts," one of them said, trying to stop their classmate in the middle of a series of deductions.

"It's often what I have to do in the BAU," Piper corrected, turning her projector off. "So we're going to play a game today, instead of going through the slides I've got prepared. We're not going to look at a past case today, we're going to look at something a lot less crime-related and filled with the gossip I'm sure a lot of you agents-in-training love. Now you're all lucky to be here, since there aren't a lot of profiling classes as you go through the Academy. This might be the last one you get, unless any of you join the BAU in a few years. So we are going to profile my fiance. I'll answer your questions, but only with a 'yes' or 'no', unless you've hit on something good. Or if I have a point to make about it. The only other information you have is what I let slip in the past or what you've observed. It's often like that in the cases I work. Who wants to go first?"

A man in the front raised his hand, Piper nodding to him as she sat down on her desk. "He works for the FBI. I remember you saying you met at work. Fairly decent salary too, from the look of the ring. That means he's been here for a while, or he's really good at what he does. I'd say the latter, since he's most likely your age."

"Yes. Good. Anything else?'

"He's smart," a young woman added from the middle of the room. Piper looked to her, telling her to go on. "You said something about how he outwitted a serial killer by talking to him. That means he's got to be brilliant."

"He's one of the younger people on the BAU team you were assigned to. You two probably adopted each other's mannerisms too, since you've probably lived together for a while. That means he probably has a bunch of random facts stuffed into his brain like you do, but probably not just about serial killers like you've got. He's got to have a reputation. But I don't think he's written any actual books. He's a great agent, I'm sure."

"He's funny. He can make you laugh," another student chipped in. "You're one of those people who would never live with someone who couldn't make you laugh. He's got a weird sense of humor, but he makes you laugh. He talks fast like you do, especially when he gets an idea. He's not the best at social interactions, but you've made him so much better. He's still not a people person, and even now he still likes his books better than people. He's strong, and he's been through a lot. He's talked down cult leaders and been kidnapped by a serial killer and takes his work seriously. He likes you dog, and he's decent at cooking. He also probably like spending nights in, and he's got a lot on his mind. He's got a history with law enforcement, since everyone here's been driven to the Academy by something like that - a crime or a family member in law enforcement. He's got issues, but he feels like he can talk to you, and that makes your relationship even stronger. He's got great language skills and is good at geographic profiling, and he's not the best shot but can hit a target if he has to. He's headed off on a case now, something dangerous and far away. He's got a few irrational fears and a few big rational ones. He's - he's Dr. Reid."

"You're good," Piper smirked. "What's your name?"

"Angelica."

"Well, Angelica, you're going to make a pretty good BAU applicant one day," she nodded. "How did you get all of that? Explain it to me and we'll see how good your reasoning is."

On her lunch break, Piper went back over to the BAU offices, sitting with Garcia as they ate. The rest of the team had already boarded their plane and were in the air. "Reid promised he'd call you when they get there," Garcia was saying. "The Cheyenne Strangler's going to be big news, though, so I hope they get him pretty quick. Can you pass me another packet of soy sauce?"

Piper handed some over, taking another bite of her food. "I wish I could be out there with them."

"Hmm. You know, you could be. You could always come back. Hotch and Rossi would move earth and sky to get you back."

"I can't go back in the field, not yet. I've got to finish this round of classes before I even think about it. But I think I will. You know me, I can't stay away from danger for too long." There was a knock on the door, Garcia's boyfriend Kevin, a tech guy from another department, walking in with his lunch. "Hey, Kevin. Haven't seen you in a while."

"It's pretty wild down in my department. I spent three days in the same room, running on five hours of sleep and Red Bull. But we got our guy in the end."

"Sounds like a BAU kind of weekend," Piper laughed. "Come on over, grab a seat."

It had been dark out for a few hours when Piper's computer started dinging, a notification for a video call coming up. "Hey, you," she smiled, setting her laptop on her bad.

"Hey. How was the rest of your day?" Reid was calling from his hotel room, sitting in his pajamas and glasses like he would have been at home. This had become their nightly ritual when he had to fly out on cases. He would call every evening, and would text her if he was out on the case late at night. They'd spend at least half an hour talking together, telling each other about their days and asking about the weather in DC and wherever Reid had been called off to. Piper would tell him about Chester, sometimes sitting there with the dog curled up on the bed next to her, and Reid would tell her all about their plane trips, or what he hadn't slept through. It had become their little ritual, their way of making sure they were both okay. Sometimes they would stay up talking until one of them fell asleep, leaving the call running for a few more minutes, smiling and watching the other before going to bed.

"I've got some brilliant kids. We got to play deductions in the morning class. They figured out a lot about you. Spent lunchtime with Garcia and Kevin. They're both still freaking out about us getting engaged. Chester, what are you doing? Okay, you can come up on the bed." She picked the dog up, setting him next to her. "How's Wyoming?"

"Really interesting, actually. You'd get a kick out of some of the stuff we've dug up. There's a Native American legend that's become pretty important - no, this has got to be boring you."

"No, tell me," she insisted, Reid's eyes lighting up as he explained how this legend had been playing out in the area, their unsub starring in a heroic role, or at least seeing himself as a hero. She sat and talked to him until they were both sleepy, realizing that it was late and that they had to be up for work in the morning. "Goodnight, Spence. I love you. And I hope you get that guy soon, 'cuz I miss you already."

"I miss you too," he sighed. "I wish you were with us. I know it's not right to want you back on the team before you're ready, but I miss having you with us. I miss flying out with you and falling asleep together on the plane and staying up late talking about anything and everything."

"I miss it too. I think I'm going to come back when this round of classes is over in a few months. I hate having you fly out for days at a time… I never realized how much we were away until I stayed here and you all left. You're gone nearly five days a week… I miss living with you, Spence. But we'll get it back eventually," she resolved with a yawn. "For now, though, I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight, Spence. And good luck tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight. And good luck in class tomorrow."

* * *

A.N.: Thank you all for the support! I've started an Instagram page ( reidingminds ), so go check it out!


	16. Foyet

"How does this sound: 'I didn't know what made people want to be friends. Hell, I didn't know what made people attractive to one another. I didn't know what underlay social interactions. But you-"

"That would sound sweet, if you weren't quoting Ted Bundy," Piper smiled, appearing behind Reid.

"I thought you were upstairs," he said, closing his laptop immediately.

"Man, I thought you said she wasn't anywhere near you," Morgan's voice sighed from the other end of a phone call. Reid had him on speaker, and he had been reading something aloud. "You can't start writing your v-" Reid hung up on him before he could finish.

She walked over to where he had been sitting on the couch, settling in with a cup of tea. "You know he's the serial killer I've always been the most interested in. I know a Bundy when I hear one. Are you writing what I think you're writing?"

"No comment."

"Okay," she laughed, "So Morgan was on the phone listening to nothing? And you were totally not purposefully quoting my - well, favorite isn't the right word here, but favorite serial killer. Let's go with that."

"Uh, have you started dress shopping?"

"Yeah, I started a few weeks ago. Garcia, JJ, Prentiss, and I are going out again to narrow it down over the weekend, if you all are in town. You've got to find a suit," she reminded him, taking a sip of her tea. "I know we still have months, but it would be best if you started looking now. And don't forget to stick with the color scheme."

"And you've got everything else handled?"

"Yeah. All you've got to do is get me your guest list, get a suit, and finish your vows there."

Reid was saved from answering by his phone ringing. "Hey, Morgan. Oh. Okay. Yeah, I'll be on my way in five. Where? I've got my go-bag ready. Fine, tell the others I'll meet them at the Bureau." He hung up, sighing. "I guess I'll have to finish writing on the way. We've got a case." He stood, grabbing his laptop and his bag. Piper followed him to the door, Reid stopping to give her a kiss and promise that, "I'll be back soon."

"Be careful."

"You too."

"I love you. Come back in one piece, okay?" She held his hand for a second, not wanting to let him go. As soon as she let go, he would be out the door on another dangerous mission. Logically, he would be fine, but there was always the chance that he wouldn't be back.

"I will. I love you. I'll call when we get there."

"Okay. Bye, babe."

"Bye."

Piper watched as he went down the stairs, leaving quickly to meet the others at the airport. That had become their little ritual, at least when he was called out from home. If she was teaching, he would always knock on the door to tell her goodbye, Piper stepping into the hallway to say goodbye. They would always say the same things, but the words always held meaning. Piper would always wish that he would get back in one piece, and he usually did. But she would always worry, at least until he called her at night.

She went about her business, getting a presentation ready for Monday's class, thinking that she would have to postpone dress shopping yet again. _Maybe I'll just take my aunt. She still lives in Maryland. Wait, Garcia's still here. I'll take her._ Humming to herself as she made dinner, Piper gave Garcia a call, asking if she still wanted to go out over the weekend. "Have you heard from Hotch?" Garcia asked as soon as she picked up. "No one's been able to get ahold of him."

"What do you mean? He always answers his phone, even if he's asleep." She set a mixing bowl down on the counter, watching Chester pad into the kitchen looking for scraps she had dropped. "He wasn't with the team?"

"No. Prentiss is going to check it out, but I just think it's weird. And you can't tell anyone, okay? We can't distract them from the case. Prentiss made me promise."

"I won't, I just… I should check out his place."

"Like I said, dear, Prentiss is headed over there now. I'll let you know when I know anything."

She kept cooking, talking to Garcia until Prentiss called, saying that Hotch wasn't at home, but there was a lot of blood. "Tell her I'll start canvassing the neighborhood. I'm going to talk to his neighbors and see if they saw or heard anything. She can get a profile of the place, if you start calling local hospitals."

"I'm on it," Garcia signed off, starting to dial as soon as Piper had hung up.

Piper turned the stove off, throwing the rest of her ingredients back in the fridge and wrapping everything up. She grabbed a sandwich and her shoes, telling Chester to be a good boy as she locked the door. Hotch was missing, and there was blood. And she couldn't even tell Reid. She spent the evening interviewing neighbors, talking to people walking their dogs on the street and people who lived close by. She even tracked down the mailman, asking him if he had seen anything. All of her interviews turned up empty.

She was on her way to the Bureau when Garcia called, telling her to get down to a local hospital. Hotch had been dropped off under Morgan's ID, and he was just getting out of the ICU. Prentiss was already there. "My god, Hotch, what the hell?" she muttered to herself as she drove, looking for a parking space for a while before running into the hospital.

"Ma'am, visiting hours are over," the man at the front desk told her, setting down a chart. "You can come back in the morning-"

"I'm a federal agent," she responded, showing him her credentials. "You've got one of my agents here, and I need to see him immediately. One of the other people from my office is already here."

Wordlessly, he led her upstairs, dropping her off at Hotch's room, where Prentiss was sitting in a chair, reading a newspaper. "He hasn't woken up yet, but they say he's going to be alright."

"What happened, Emily?" Piper sat down next to her, looking over at Hotch. He was breathing steadily, and the monitors all looked good.

"He was stabbed, nine times. I'm thinking it's that guy who's been after him for a while now. It makes the most sense."

"Foyet?"

"Foyet," Prentiss confirmed. "We've already got a protective detail headed for his family, and there's one who's going to be headed here soon. We can't tell the rest of the team, not yet. They need to be able to concentrate. We've got a kid being threatened because of his father's work, and they're trying to shut down a whole school in order to protect him. There's too much going on right now that they need to be looking after. But the two of us, well, we can stay here."

"Reid's going to call me soon. What do I tell him?"

"He knows. He was waiting on me - the case we're on isn't too far from here. He's the only one who knows, aside from us and Garcia." Prentiss filled her in, saying, "You can talk to him about it. But remind him not to say anything to the rest of the team."

Piper's phone rang a few minutes later, and she stepped into the hall to talk to Reid. "Hey, I was trying to video call you, but you weren't answering."

"Sorry, I'm in a hospital. Hotch is here, he's stable. He's going to be fine. It'll be a long process, but he's going to be okay." She sat down in the hall, asking, "You're on a big case, right? From what Prentiss tells me, you've got half of the town on lockdown."

"Yeah, I'm staying with the family. It's taken a toll on them, but we're going to get our guy. How's everyone doing back at home?"

"Prentiss is working on a crossword puzzle, Hotch is still asleep, and Garcia's been calling every hour to check up on him. So it's all a bit crazy, but we're going to make it," Piper promised. "Keep me updated on your case, okay? I'll make sure I let you know if anything happens with Hotch, but I'm pretty sure they're going to keep him under observation for a day or two and then send him home."

"He can stay with us for a bit if he wants to," Reid offered.

"I think Prentiss is going to keep him with her, but I'll offer. It shouldn't be nearly as bad as it was with me. The doctor said there was no major organ damage. I think the worst part is going to be the fallout from his family. They're going to have to go into protective custody, and… who knows when he's going to get to see his son again." She shook her head, sighing. "It's terrible, thinking that he's not going to be able to be there for them-"

"We will be," Reid reminded her. "We'll be there for him, and the faster we get Foyet the better."

"I think i'm going to try to start looking into him from here," Piper resolved. "I-"

"Hey," Prentiss stuck her head out into the hall. "He's waking up."

"I've got to go, Spence. Be careful, okay? I love you."

"Love you too." They hung up, Piper going in to see Hotch, who could hardly move but was glad to see them nonetheless. She would spend the night up late with Garcia, sitting in her basement office in their pajamas and going through everything they could find on Foyet, resolving that they would virtually hunt him down before the rest of the team even closed their case.

She was in class the next afternoon when she got a phone call from Garcia. "How soon can you get to the hospital?"

"What happened to Hotch?" Piper asked as she stepped into the hallway for a moment.

"It's not Hotch." Garcia's voice sounded strained, like she was trying not to burst into tears. "It's Reid. He's been shot."

"No." Piper put a hand to her mouth, trying to keep calm. "What…"

"He was protecting someone. He got hit in the leg, and it's gonna be pretty bad, but he'll live. He'll be on crutches for a while, though, and he's not going to be cleared to travel for at least a month or so."

"Did you hack the hospital records?"

"Anything for you, my dear," she laughed. It was one of those tension laughs, Piper knew. Laughing when you had no idea how to respond, or when a real response would be too terrible. They saw families do it all the time. "He's in the same hospital as Hotch, so check up on him for me too, okay?"

"Okay." Piper hung up, heading back into the classroom. She tried to control her expressions, but she knew that she had taught them all well. They would be asking questions, and there was no hope of continuing on with the lesson if they were asked. "You're all dismissed early. Go get a snack or something before your next class. Davis told me he's got something nasty for all of you over in forensics, so you might want to eat now while you can."

"Ma'am, is everything alright?" one of the students asked as they filed out, Piper grabbing her bag and following her class.

She took a deep breath, blinking a few times, trying not to cry in front of any of them. "Relatively. Things can happen in the FBI, things no one wants to ever deal with, things that feel a bit too personal or hit a bit too close to home. But that's the job. You have to be prepared to deal with it. Even if it costs you a lot."


	17. Haley

More than ever, Piper wished she didn't still have a few months of teaching left at the Academy. They were now down two people on the team, and she was consulting as much as she could, but she also had to make it to class on time every day and make sure Reid didn't try to take on too much. He was on crutches, which was kind of nice, since now he couldn't sneak up on her, but it was difficult all the same. She longed to be back with the team full-time, to get back to work flying across the country and catching unsubs instead of teaching basic investigations and profiling. "I need a 12-letter word for 'like an eel'."

"Anguilliform," Reid answered from where he had been sitting on the sofa. "Hey, there's a Star Trek marathon on, you want to watch?"

"Sure." She brought her laptop over, deciding that she would be spending her TV time working on finishing up a report as she curled up next to him. "Hey Spence, have you ever thought about going back to the Academy?"

"Why? I like the BAU."

"It's dangerous, and I like it," Piper told him, setting her laptop down and lazily running a hand through his hair. "But the Academy… I have no idea why someone would leave the BAU for the Academy. I want to get back as soon as I can, Spence. I needed the time off, and I got it. But you - they're still going to let you go out, aren't they?"

"I think so." He looked away from the TV, asking, "Why?"

"It's not the physical wounds they're treating me for by sending me back to teach at the Academy," she confessed. "Hotch asks me every week how I'm doing, if the nightmares have stopped, how we are. I lie to him every time, and I think he knows it. But I have to, to get back on the job."

Reid nodded, thinking of how her nightmares had slowed and had gotten less violent. It was only once or twice a week that she would wake up in terror, just about the same as it was for him. It was hard not having her there when he had to fly out on cases, and he knew it must have been hard for her, waking up in Washington and not being able to reach over and embrace him. It was definitely hard for him. "I'll talk to him. I'm sure they'll let you back on the team as soon as this group of trainees is done."

"I hope so. Too much has happened since I've left. Two of you almost died-"

"I didn't almost die," Reid countered, Piper shaking her head. "There was no way I could have died from that."

She continued with her sentence. "And isn't Morgan being promoted?"

"They think Hotch's judgement has been compromised by the Foyet case. Hotch asked Morgan to be the Unit Chief, since they would split us all up if he didn't promote internally," he explained. "It's only temporarily, we think."

"Still, too much has happened since I left. I want to get back into the field. It's just so frustrating sitting here and teaching while you're all out on cases. I can call in like Garcia does, but… I can't understand how she can stay there in her office while we're chasing criminals."

"She's a different kind of person. You know she doesn't deal with blood like we do, things like that."

"You're right, but still, I want to be back as soon as I can."

He called the next morning, saying he was on his way to California as Piper was getting back from her lunch break with Garcia. "You've got a vampire? And they cleared you to fly? You're still on crutches."

"He's got a vampire?" Garcia asked. "I'm jealous."

"Yeah, apparently there's a vampire out in LA."

"Spencer Reid, vampire hunter. Interesting. And you're stuck here in DC?"

"Unfortunately," Piper sighed, picking up her bag. "I've got to get back to class. I'm sure they'll be keeping us both updated. "If anything interesting happens, you know where I'll be."

"Of course, m'lady." She saluted as Piper left.

Their routine went on like this for a few days, just like every time the BAU team left for a case. Piper would go in to work and teach for the morning, spend lunch with Garcia, and go back to her class. When she was done, she would head home, make dinner, and wait for Reid to call, taking Chester for a walk and thinking that she needed to go shopping soon. It was a routine, but good enough when there wasn't a case to be working on. Or at least a case that she could be out on the ground for. She would spend time monitoring the cases, looking up as much information as she could on the government server Garcia had let her bounce from. Reid had called a few days in, saying they would be on their way back the next morning, and hopefully staying to work on a case nearby.

Piper spent her class the next afternoon on profiling visionary killers like, "David Berkowitz, who suffered from the delusion that he was being told to kill by a demon inhabiting a neighbor's dog. Visionary killers often suffer from psychotic breaks, believing they are someone else or they are being commanded to kill by someone or something else. Visionary killers are easier to track down, since they are often more unorganized in their states of psychosis. They leave more behind, and exhibit some telltale signs. They're going to be sloppier with their work, and there might even be DNA left behind at the scene. They will make mistakes, you just have to find the patterns in them."

"We've got another hit on the Foyet case. This is big. Piper, oh my God, it's awful."

"Excuse me?" Piper turned to the door Garcia had just burst through, looking frantic. She had run all the way from her basement office, not thinking to actually call the Academy. "Garcia, I-"

"There's - something's happened. Can I borrow you for a second?"

"Yeah, sure." Piper turned back to her class, saying, "I have to step out for a second and consult on a case. While I'm gone, I want you to get in a few small groups and come up with a list of other likely candidates for visionary-type serial killers. She stepped into the hall, closing the door. "What's happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Foyet's got Haley."

"What? Where?"

"Somewhere in Virginia, I have a triangulation program running now. But he's got her, and the team is headed-"

"I'm going."

Garcia objected immediately. "You're still on leave from the BAU, and you have a class in there. You can't go running off like that-"

"I have to. Haley's in danger and the rest of the team isn't back yet. Someone has to be out there."

"You can't." Garcia took her hand, pressing that, "There are other teams that can go. You're going to need backup, and it's too much for you to handle alone, I know it. You've got to stay here, let someone else work the case. Besides, we're all too involved. We were too involved when Foyet came back, but this… this is way too much."

Piper sighed. "Penelope, I know you hate seeing us leave-"

"Every time my babies go out on a case, I worry. At least now I have you here, and I know one of you is safe. If you go running out there, you're putting yourself in all kinds of danger that you aren't ready for. Besides, what would Reid tell you?"

"Fine," Piper said, looking at her watch. "I'll tell you what. I'm finishing my lesson and then I'm going out there. You'd have to tie me down to stop me. This is Haley we're talking about."

Garcia frowned, but assented. "Call me when you get home. Or I'll hack into your phone and track your movements, it's one or the other."

"Okay," Piper nodded, saying goodbye and heading back into the room. She took a deep breath, turning to face the groups of soon-to-be FBI agents who were still chattering away about serial killers. "Who's got a good theory about a famous visionary killer?"

She ended up dismissing her class a few minutes early, heading over to the BAU bullpen to see if there was any new information on Foyet or his whereabouts. Garcia had narrowed down the search area, which could be triangulated around Hotch's house, which is where she decided to head first. Driving over there, she had a bad feeling about this, about the whole Foyet case. Garcia was right - they were too close to this. There was no way they could be impartial if they ended up in court, but she still had to be there. And she had a feeling this wouldn't end up in court. She drove as fast as she could, but by the time she arrived, there were several police cars, FBI vans, and an ambulance parked outside, people flooding all over the lawn. "Oh no…"

Parking across the street, she ran into the house, dodging the police and a few other FBI agents. "Hey, woah, slow down." One of the FBI agents in a bulletproof vest stepped in her way, grabbing her before she could run into the room. "Piper, you don't want to see it."

"No, she's not…" It took her a second to process that it was Reid, and that he looked absolutely drained. "I've got to see..."

"He killed Haley," Reid sighed, Piper wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry."

"What… what about Jack?"

"Jack's okay, he's upstairs with JJ."

"Where's Hotch?"

"He's in there. Don't-" Piper had already broken away from him, running into the room where all of the police had gathered. Hotch sat on the floor, cradling Haley's body. He was covered in blood, crying like she had never seen.

Piper put a hand on his shoulder, starting to cry herself. "I'm so sorry, Hotch. I'm so sorry."


	18. Kids

A.N.: Posting another chapter today in honor of 100 followers on reidingminds on IG. Love you all!

* * *

Piper had picked Jack up from school in the afternoon, letting Hotch and his sister-in-law spend time making funeral plans. They had sworn off cases for a little while, trying to help the family as best they could. Besides, there was an internal investigation going on. They would all be interviewed to see if Hotch - and the mechanics of the team itself - should be allowed to remain. "Hey, buddy, how was school?"

"Okay. Is Daddy going to be home for dinner?"

"I'm not sure," Piper admitted as they walked into the home that she and Reid now shared. Chester bounded over to Jack, who smiled and hugged the dog. Chester had always been good with kids. At least Jack was smiling now. "What do you want for dinner? I can send Spencer out to pick something up if you want."

"Can we get a pizza?"

"Sure, kiddo. Why don't you get started on your homework and I'll get him to pick up a pizza on his way home?"

Jack went to the kitchen table, taking his things out as Piper made herself some coffee and dialed Reid. "Hey, Spence, I've got the junior G-man here. Can you pick us up a pizza on your way home? Yeah, that's what he's asking for. From that place on Pennsylvania? Thanks, babe."

"I'll check up on Hotch on my way back," Reid promised, adding, "and I'll be back with pizza as close to dinner time as I can. They're finishing up Rossi's interview, and I think I'm not going to be called in today, unless they want to go overtime. I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Okay, thanks. I'll see you soon, alright?"

"Okay. See you soon."

"Pizza will be on the way soon," Piper announced, sitting down next to Jack. "Ooh, writing practice? Nice. I remember doing a lot of that in school."

Reid got home a little while later, triumphantly carrying a box of pizza. He scooped Jack up into a hug with his other arm, setting the boxes down on the kitchen counter. Piper gave him a kiss, asking Jack to grab some paper plates and set the table before going to wash his hands. When he was out of earshot, she turned to Reid, asking, "How's he doing?"

"He's getting by. He and Jessica are going over funeral arrangements. They were trying to find a florist when I got there. He said he'd be over later on. I don't think they're going to make it for dinner."

Piper nodded, looking over to where Jack was coming back from the bathroom. "Hands are clean!"

"Good," she smiled. "Let's grab some pizza."

Piper and Reid sat on the sofa together, quietly watching the news. Jack had fallen asleep in an armchair, curled up with Chester, who had hardly left him alone since he got there. Somehow, the dog could tell that he needed him. "It's cute, isn't it? The two of them."

"Yeah," Piper sighed. "Poor Hotch is going to have a lot of adjusting to do. I know he wasn't around for a lot of Jack's early life. It's going to be difficult."

"You think we'll have some one day?"

She turned to look at Reid questioningly. "You're not seriously asking if I want to have kids."

"Not now, I just wondered about eventually."

"We could, in theory," she shrugged. Looking back to where Jack was sleeping. "But one of us would have to stay here. We couldn't be flying around with the BAU all of the time. I… I'd probably be stuck at the Academy. I'd hate to think about one of us getting hurt if… and you'd… I have a feeling we wouldn't enjoy the process."

"We could adopt," he shrugged, putting an arm over her shoulder.

Piper leaned her head on his shoulder. "We could. But what adoption agency is going to clear two FBI agents to have a kid?"

"They give kids to lots of people who are a lot worse off."

"So you really want to have a little genius running around reading about particle physics and playing chess with Grandmasters?"

"I just think it would be nice to have a normal life one day. I mean, nothing too soon, but one day. With you. And only if you wanted to." He sighed, adding, "You might be right, it's a better option… we wouldn't be risking as much if we didn't actually go through the process of having a kid." He didn't say it, but she could tell that he was thinking of his mother, of how he was still at a decent risk for developing schizophrenia himself, of how he was afraid of losing his mind and all of the store he had set in it.

"Spence, it'll be fine. I know you're not going to-"

"The risk is the highest between 16 and 30," he said, looking back to her. "There's still a chance-"

"Spence, listen to me. Yes, I know it's passed down in families. I know you're in the prime age for it. I know you're afraid, afraid that you'll lose everything you've worked so long for. But if anything happens, even if you just have a suspicion that you're slipping, we'll find you a doctor. We'll find you the best we can get and tackle it early. And I promise, no matter what, I'm not going to do what your dad did to you and your mom."

"Everyone makes that vow when they get married, 'for better or for worse'... 'in sickness and in health', all of that. But how many of them really mean it? 41% of all first marriages end in a divorce. 38% of-"

"Spence, I know there's no real way of proving it to you. But I swear, I would never. I love you, and that means sticking with you even when things aren't the best. Did Hayley's death bring all of this to the surface? How she and Hotch separated and then had to figure things out with Jack, and how she ended up being killed? And how he regretted ever separating, how devastated he is now? Is that why you're bringing all of this up?"

"No, these are just things you think of when you're going to get married, you know?" He took a sip of his drink, finally meeting her eye. "They're just a couple of things we need to figure out."

"People are fluid. Their opinions change, circumstances change. People fall in and out of love. But I swear, the Piper Marston who's sitting here at," she paused, glancing over at the clock, "9:46 PM loves you so much and never wants to leave you. And I guess you're going to have to have a bit of blind faith, just like everyone else who gets married," she told him bluntly. "I know you like your facts and statistics, but there are things they can't capture."

Reid was silent for a moment, finally telling her, "I know. But it's difficult."

"You've got a textbook childhood background for trust issues, Spence. I don't blame you."

"That's my favorite forensic psychologist speaking," he smiled, giving her a kiss. "And I love her." He looked up, seeing lights in the driveway. "Hotch is back." He stood, shaking Jack's shoulder. "Hey, buddy, Dad's home."

That night, Piper settled into bed, putting her glasses on the bedside table. Reid joined her a few minutes later, taking his glasses off and getting into bed. As Piper turned the lights off, he rolled over to look at her in the shadows cast by the string of lights that they left on every night. "I'm sorry, about earlier. It's a lot that we don't need to think about right now, and it's a lot that probably won't happen and a lot that-"

"Spence, it's okay. I understand." She put her arms around him, promising that "I love you. And I always will, even if every terrible thing we can imagine happens. I'm not going anywhere."

"Good. Hey, we've got to be up by 10 tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. The wake is at noon, and the funeral service is going to start around 2, I think."

"Hmm." He pulled her closer, closing his eyes. "Thank you."

"For what?"  
"For everything. For being so good to me."

"You deserve it, Spence."

"There was no way she deserved this," she sighed the next morning as they stood in line, waiting to shake Hotch's hand and hug Jack. The funeral parlor was cold, everyone dressed in dark clothes and talking amongst themselves quietly. Piper took Reid's hand as Rossi walked up to them, followed by JJ and Garcia. "Hey."

"Hey," Garcia sighed, looking around at all of the people who were milling about, waiting. "How's Hotch?"

"He's holding up," Piper answered, looking to the front of the line. "Jack's with his cousins now, so they're keeping him distracted. They're doing as well as they can, considering the circumstances."

They all went through the funeral together, Reid and Piper not letting go of each other's hands. They didn't say much to each other, but nothing really needed to be said. Everyone could read the looks on each other's faces plainly, not wanting to say anything other than offering their condolences. Sitting together after the funeral, the team chattered a bit, but they could focus on nothing other than Hotch and Jack. "I wish there was something we could do," Prentiss sighed, taking a sip of her drink.

"There's nothing we can really do," Morgan told her. "We just have to give it time."

"Do you think he'll come back?" Reid asked, looking over to where Hotch was talking to his sister-in-law.

JJ shook her head. "Would you?"

Reid squeezed Piper's hand. "I don't think I could."

"He'll come back when he's ready," Morgan told them confidently. "I just don't know what he'll be like when he does."

"You know Hotch, he's going to try, no matter what. We just have to be there for him when he's ready."

JJ pulled her phone out of her pocket, quietly answering. "I see. Okay. Is there? No? Alright. We'll be on the way soon. Thank you. Yes. Goodbye." She put her phone away, saying, "We have a case. We've got to catch a plane in Nashville in 30."

"We can talk to Strauss, see if there's another team that can go. Hotch needs us here," Reid objected.

"There's no other team available," JJ explained. "We've got two bodies discovered on consecutive Friday nights, and they want us to catch the unsub before the next one turns up."

"I'll go talk to Hotch," Morgan volunteered, standing up first.

Piper bit her lip, thinking. "I'd love to go with you all. They're even giving me a few days off at the Academy, if I want to take them. But Hotch needs me here."

Reid nodded, squeezing her hand. "I've got my bag in the car. Can you drop me at the airport before you head home?"

"Of course." Piper didn't say much on the ride over to the airport, but when she parked, she turned to Reid, giving him a kiss. "Be careful out there, okay? If something can happen to Haley - someone who had layers of protection around her - something can happen to anyone. Please, Spence, be careful."

"I will."

"I love you."

"I love you too. I'll call when we get there, okay? Keep Hotch in one piece for us." He unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbing his bag from the back seat. Reid leaned back into the car for a second longer, adding, "I love you, and I'm going to keep telling you that."

"So will I," she laughed. "Now you've got a flight to catch. Go on, catch a killer for me." She watched Reid walk over to the jet, say hello to Morgan, and head up the stairs before she drove away. "Bye Spence. Come back to me."


	19. Nuclear Negotiator

"You've got a case in… Alaska?" Piper asked, watching Reid pack. She sat on the bed with a cup of tea, making sure he had everything he could possibly need. "Never heard of Franklin."

"Yeah, small town, bodies turning up once every two days," Reid summed up, throwing a coat into the pile. "They need us, since they all know about each other and are too blinded by preconceived notions of their neighbors."

"Take another one. It's starting to get really cold up there."

"You know reception up there is sketchy at best, but I'll try to call," he promised, stuffing everything into his bag. "I've got to get going. You know Hotch - wheels up in 30."

"Okay," Piper sighed. "I'll keep you updated on all of the teaching i've got to do."

"Alright," he laughed. "I'll talk to you later, okay? I love you."

She gave him a kiss, watching him jog downstairs and over to where Morgan was waiting in his car. With a sigh, Piper dropped into an armchair, opening her laptop and trying to write her vows. She sat there for a while, halfway writing and halfway thinking of Reid flying off to Alaska. She was just about to go to bed when the phone rang. "We need a profile."

"Agent Strauss, what's happening?"

"There is a 747 jet that's been taken over and is threatening to crash into a nuclear power plant near a major metropolitan area. We need someone to profile the guy. There's an HRT team talking to the hijacker at Quantico. They want you to give them a profile and tell them how best to talk to him."

"Okay." _There's no other BAU team available?_ "I'll be there in 20." _15 if I speed. A jet going that fast could reach the reactor soon if it doesn't loop around._ She hung up, grabbing a jacket and her purse before locking the door and sprinting to the car.

It was only when she walked in that she realized she was still in her pajamas, but she didn't care. "Give me everything you can on the guy," she told the HRT team, grabbing a cup of coffee. "Where's your command center? I need to get down there and hear his voice." She read the file on the way, following another agent to where the HRT team was set up, wired into the air traffic control signals. "Perfect." She dropped into a chair next to the lead negotiator, who nodded to her. He had taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, and it looked like he was on his fourth cup of coffee at least.

"So far I've stalled him to the point where he's telling the pilot to start circling. We're buying time. What can you tell me?" She glanced over their setup, noticing how everything had been organized. Piper didn't work a lot of hostage negotiations, but she was slowly getting used to how they would put together their command centers and how everything revolved around the lead negotiator.

"Well without even considering the file, if you'll indulge me a moment, he either isn't confident in his own ability to pilot a plane, meaning he didn't do his research and has never taken a piloting class, or he's not confident in going through with this. He needs the pilot alive as insurance that he can still reach the ground if he chickens out," Piper said, stopping when the radio buzzed. She listened in as the lead negotiator held another conversation, writing him a note to ask if he had any demands. 'Could be on mission. Demand? $? Politics? Media?"

'Devil-made-me-do-it,' he wrote back.

'Delusional hijacker, needs authority to tell him to stop.' she scrawled, passing the note back to him.

'Doesn't think I'm the Devil.'

'Let me talk?'

Wordlessly, the negotiator passed her a headset. She took a deep breath, hoping her profile would be accurate enough to tell her what to say. "Hello David."

"Who is this?" the man asked, a bit alarmed that the voice had changed. It sounded like the copilot was quietly crying in the background. She had to keep them calm too. At least they would be logical and understand that she had to cater to the hijacker's fantasy. "Who are you? Where's the man -"

"You know who I am," she said confidently, keeping her voice low and even. "You've always known who I am… what I am. We've been connected, you and I, since the day you were born. It was a full moon, wasn't it?" He was quiet, Piper adding, "My name is Lilith." The negotiator frowned at her, but he let her continue. "My name is Lilith. You know me. You've always known me. Now I need you to listen. Do you remember what I told you? It was in a dream, wasn't it?"

"Yes. You told me he needed to die."

"Yes, yes he does, and you're doing well," Piper nodded. "But I need you to show him to me, to make sure you have it right. Killing the wrong man wouldn't make me too happy. It wouldn't make the man I serve too happy either."

"Yes, Madam," he breathed. Piper could tell that she had him convinced, but it might not hold up for long.

"Can you show him to me?" She asked. "There's a flight camera in the cockpit, do you see it? Good. I want you to show me the man I sent you for."

The hijacker took the camera into first class, showing her a man who had been tied to his chair. "Oh, no, David, no, no no, that's his brother," Piper sighed as the negotiator wrote her a note. 'Arnold Levenson, Wall Street banker'. She nodded, continuing to talk. "David, that isn't Arnold. His name is Steven. I know Arnold stole thousands from people, I know you want to get back at him. You told me he drained your poor mother's savings account, right? Steven is a teacher. His brother paid for a first-class ticket for him. There's no way he could afford to be there himself." The man nodded enthusiastically.

"Please, my name is Steven. My wife's name is Ashley, and we have two kids - Barb and Dana. I teach fourth grade. Please-"

"Daaaavid," Piper half-way sung. "Didn't I tell you you had to make sure you got the right man? I can't do anything to help you - or your mother - if you kill the wrong man. I'm a fan of blood and nuclear explosions myself, but if you don't get the right man for me, I can't hold up my end of the deal either. And you know I'll have to report it. He's not going to be too happy when I tell him-"

"No, you can't tell him. Please don't tell him. Please."

The lead negotiator nodded. _You've got him hooked. Keep him talking, talk him down. Get him to make them land the plane. You've got this._ "Oh, David, I don't know… I'll tell you what, if you let the pilot land the plane, I'll make it easier for you. I'll take you to him. I'll take you to Arnold, and I'll make sure you get the right man. We can do it together, how does that sound?"

"Good. Yes."

"Good. Now I need you to go back to the pilot and tell him to land the plane. But be nice to him. If you scare him too much, your landing could be a bit rough. I'll be waiting there for you." Piper stayed on the line with him until the plane landed and was boarded by a SWAT team. She finally took off her headset when he was in custody, sighing and looking at the clock. It was nearly 3AM.

"You really should be on the HRT," the negotiator offered as they packed up their equipment. "I heard about what you did with that bank robbery that turned into a hostage situation."

"It would've been my second choice, after the BAU. But there's no way I could leave it now. I'll be heading back there as soon as this Academy class graduates."

"Well, we would be glad to have you if you ever change your mind."

Piper made it home a little before 4, dropping into bed and finally looking at her phone. Reid had texted a little while earlier, saying they couldn't get a call out from where they were staying but that they had made it alright, that he was okay but exhausted, and that he loved her and would try to call in the morning. She smiled to herself, closing her eyes and hoping he would be home soon.


	20. A Little Hacking Never Hurt Anyone

"Spence, what if something happens on a case, something awful that we can't come back from?" Piper asked one night. She had been up writing a final exam and had just come to lay down in bed. He'd been up reading, his glasses perched on his nose as she took hers off to rub her eyes.

"Then we'll figure it out. You're tired, and you've been reading crim theory all night. Just lay here with me and you'll feel better." He set his book down, putting his glasses on top. Piper sighed, setting her glasses down and switching the light off. Reid pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her as he said, "We'll take care of each other, like we always have. And we will. No matter what."

"Hmm," Piper nodded, closing her eyes. "You know, Spence, I'm too lucky. I've survived a whole hell of a lot, and I've got you."

"Shh, Piper, it's fine. Listen, nothing's going to happen to us. Statistically-"

"Spence, I know you like your statistics and that you find some sort of comfort in them, but sometimes statistics don't negate emotions. You… you just use them to suppress yours. You use them to quiet down your fear and rationalize for a little while, but I can't."

"Piper, it's okay. If you don't want statistics, it's fine. No matter what, I'll be here," he promised, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They were up early the next day, Reid heading for the BAU and piper heading for her classroom. They'd grabbed coffee and walked Chester, heading for work together and splitting off when they got to the Bureau. Everything was normal, as normal as a day could be there. Piper passed out her final exams, sitting down at her desk and opening her laptop. "Take as much time as you need. Give me as complete of a profile as you can, and don't be afraid to make a few guesses. This is an actual case I've worked on, and I know who it turned out to be. But please, I want to see how your minds work. Give me a profile. It doesn't have to be perfect, just a rough profile we could be working with. I'll be grading based off of justification, not what ended up being true about the unsub. Go."

She started working on an outline for something that she had wanted to write for a while. Rossi had always been a prolific writer, and he had since inspired her to start writing. She wouldn't have much time, especially since she would be going back to the BAU soon, but she figured she would get a start on it. Every five or ten minutes, she would look up at her class or accept a paper from one of them. When her phone rang, she answered quietly. Listening. Reid had already told her that he was heading out on a case, so she was surprised to hear from him so soon. "Hey. I'm in an exam. What's up?"

He sighed, not wanting to give her bad news. "I figured I should be the one to tell you. JJ's accepting a job at the Pentagon. Strauss is pretty much forcing her hand, but she's going."

"Oh my… okay. I'll talk to her when she gets back, since I'm sure they're forcing her to come home early. And I'll talk to you later tonight, okay? I love you."

"I love you too."

"Your fiance?" one of her students asked, coming to turn in her paper.

Piper nodded. "One of our team members is being sent to the Pentagon at the end of the week. She's a great woman, and our team is going to suffer without her. Now you're going to be a great agent. I can already see you've got the basics of the profile down. Good luck with the rest of your classes."

One by one, people turned their papers in and left, Piper saying a few words to each one of them. When the last student had turned his paper in, she took the stack down to the empty BAU bullpen, where Garcia had stopped by to drop some files on everyone's desks. "She's really leaving?"

"Yeah," Garcia sighed. "She's out as soon as the case is over and she can finish her paperwork. She's going to be packing up her office and… and leaving us."

"She'll still be in town. And you know we're going to see her pretty often - we still have a wedding to put together, don't we?" Piper sat on Reid's desk, looking at the newspaper clippings and crime scene photos that had been taped up on the walls of the cubicle. She smiled, seeing that a picture of the two of them had been tacked between photos from a Ridgeway scene and a Henry Lee Lucas.

"I'm going to do as much of her work as I can. They're going to need someone to carry what JJ did."

"Garcia, you can't juggle two jobs at once. But I… I'm on my way back into the BAU. i can take over," Piper offered. "I'll be able to handle it."

"No, my job lines up with JJ's the most," Garcia argued. "You're going to be out with Reid and the others. They need you doing your job, and they need a JJ running the press. They need someone like me, someone who's already connected to the press through the internet and someone who can do all sorts of-"

"Just don't go crazy, okay?"

She nodded. "I won't."

"Let's get dinner when you're done tonight," Piper suggested. "I'm going to try to get ahead on grading, and I'm sure we'll both need a break by five."

"Hey, do you need any more help with the wedding? I know you've just got to pick a dress and finish a few other things, but I'm free for the night, and-"

"I could use all the help I can get," Piper smiled. "We'll get dinner and grab a coffee or something, sit up in the apartment for a while and get some work done. Actually, one of your programs could tell me how to seat people at the reception."

"How long do you have again?"

"Almost a month," she laughed. "I'll admit it, I've got too much to do. And nothing to do at the same time. I'd love to just get back to the team and not have to grade all of this stuff and submit reports on every one of those kids to the Academy."

They spent their evening planning a wedding, Piper toning down Garcia's suggestions and fielding her questions of why neon colors weren't right for a wedding. Garcia ended up writing a program that made up reception tables to make sure no one who hated each other sat anywhere close by, and hacking a few company websites to make sure they got upgraded orders of everything. Piper's phone rang around 10, Garcia scooping it up immediately. "Hello, my brilliant Prince Charming. You've got the Fairy Godmother on the line."

"Hey, Garcia. I was just calling to tell Piper hi."

"Hey, Spence. She's got you on speaker," Piper told him from where she was buried in printouts on the sofa. "All of our orders have been mysteriously upgraded, but we aren't paying any extra for anything. Actually, we're paying less for a lot of it, thanks to one Penelope Garcia."

"Anything for you two," she smiled, passing Piper her laptop. "What do you think of this one?"

"Hmm, I was thinking something with less glitter, but it's a good start."

"What are you working on now?" Reid asked.

"I'm making sure everything's in order and she's on thank-you notes," Piper told him. "We've gotten everything together in one night. Now I just have to get my dress altered - we even found one of those while we were out. Then there are vows and your stuff to take care of. You and Morgan went suit shopping the other day, right?"

"Yeah, it's hanging in the closet, matching tie and everything," Reid promised from hundreds of miles away. He looked out of his hotel room window, thinking of what the living room must look like now. Garcia would have papers all over the coffee table. She would be sitting on the floor surrounded by different things, since a lot of it couldn't be on the computer. Well, she might have digitized everything already. Piper would be in her pajamas, a cup of tea next to her. Her glasses would be perched on her head as she read, and she would invariably lose them when she needed to see anything further away than her computer. Garcia would laugh at her but tell her they were on top of her head, because she did the same thing. Garcia would have hot chocolate, no matter what time of the year it was. "I wish I could be back home with you."

"Hey, I'll be back at the BAU in a couple of weeks. And you'll be back home with me in a few days. One or two more cases and we'll be taking a week off," Piper reminded him.

"Where are you two going?" Garcia asked. "I mean, I could hack your accounts and see where you have plane tickets to, but…"

"Greece. You went through the files earlier. And I think I told you earlier too."

"Oh yeah, Santorini, right?"

"And Athens. Far away enough that they can't call us back at a moment's notice. It'll be nice not worrying about serial killers for a bit."

"I've got to get going, but I'm glad I got to talk to you, Piper. And you too, Garcia," Reid said with a yawn, wishing her goodnight.

"Goodnight. I love you. Come home safe, my G-man."

Reid hung up, Piper putting her phone on its charger. "You two are so sweet," Garcia smiled when she came back. "Seriously, if there's anyone I know who's going to end up in a good marriage, it's you two."

"Thanks, Garcia. I know you will too. You're one of the sweetest people I've ever met, and you deserve someone just as amazing."

They stayed up late into the night, finishing all of the planning in record time. "Just a little bit of hacking never hurt anyone." Garcia had her convinced once she managed to book a better room all the way in Greece. Piper went to sleep late, thinking she should send Reid the plans. She'd finally managed to convince him to get a smartphone, even though he refused to learn anything more than how to text, call, and check his email (which she had also made him set up, since literally everyone else at the Bureau had one). Hopefully he would bother to check them. Well, if it was from her, he would. Any other emails, even the ones from Hotch, were variable at best.

They spent the next month getting things ready, Reid flying out to different cities while Piper wrote up reports about her students and recommendations for each of them. He would come home for a couple of days at a time, spending them with her as much as he could before he was called away again. Piper now knew what Haley went through with Hotch disappearing all of the time. It would be different when she was back in the field, but it was difficult all the same.


	21. Mrs Reid and the Redmond Ripper

"Look at you!" Garcia was already crying, and the wedding hadn't even started. Well, she'd been crying off and on for a while, since "my girl's getting married!" She and JJ were standing with Piper, while Morgan and Hotch had gone to talk to Reid. "You look amazing! I can't believe you're getting married. I'd give you some advice, but you're probably already like, the best wife ever, so... agh, this is so exciting!"

JJ took her hand, calmly saying, "You're going to be fine. It'll be just like before, but you'll be calling each other 'husband' and 'wife'. You'll have your fights and your happy moments, but at the end of the day, you'll always have each other. I know you're going to love it."

Piper sat down, taking a deep breath and looking at the clock. She would be walking down the aisle in a few minutes, seeing all of her friends and family. Lots of people had flown in for the wedding. Even Reid's mother was there, with someone from the hospital that drove with her all the way to DC. She had been by earlier to gush over Piper's dress, to tell her how proud she was that such a wonderful young lady was marrying her son, and to promise that she would always be there for the both of them. She had gone to see Reid too, and had just left when Hotch knocked on the door. "I know I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I want you to see who's giving her away."

He stepped to the side, Reid fixing his tie as Gideon walked in, nodding to them all. He shook Reid's hand, offering some some words of wisdom. "Listen, you're going to have some bad days. But you're also going to have some great days, days you'll treasure for the rest of your lives. You two are meant for each other. I know you'll be able to stick together, no matter what happens. You've always been a strong couple. Now I've got to get over to Piper, and you've got to get to the end of that aisle, young man. I'll see you soon."

Only a few minutes later, Piper appeared on Gideon's arm in the doorway of the church that they had rented, everyone's eyes turning to her. Garcia was crying again, taking as many pictures as she could while wiping her tears from her cheeks. Piper beamed as Gideon walked with her down the aisle. She looked to Reid, who was near tears himself. "Hi," she whispered excitedly as she reached him, taking his hands in her own.

"Hi. You look… fantastic," he smiled, trying his best to whisper as the preacher began to speak.

They exchanged vows and rings, the BAU team leading the applause when they finally kissed. Garcia even stood and cheered, Jack jumping up and down with her from his special seat as the ring bearer. He would be visiting them constantly during the reception, at least until Hotch pulled him back to their table. He would invariably return, though.

Dinner had just been cleared away and it was almost time to cut the cake when Reid stood up, making an announcement. "Hey, uh, hi everybody. I just wanted to say a few things. First, I want to thank all of you for coming, some of you from all the way across the country. I also want to say thank you to Piper, for agreeing to marry one of the most annoying people on the planet. Thank you for being there for so many things, and for being the most incredible, supportive wife I could have ever dreamed of. Thank you for making me think I can actually live a normal life and be happy and… thank you for being so giving, for being so understanding, and being absolutely incredible. I love you, and I always will."

"I love you too, Spence," she smiled, standing to give him a kiss. "You're the best husband I could have ever hoped for. You're the reason I smile so much, and you make every day so much better. I'm so glad I get to hear from you when you're in the field, and I'm always so thankful when you get home to me safely. I was honored when I got to change my name to 'Dr.', and I'm honored now that I can change it again, this time to 'Reid'. I… I love you, Spencer Reid."

She and Reid cut the cake, Garcia making sure that they got pieces and actually ate before the first dance. They spent hours dancing and socializing and thanking people, Reid following Piper around as she said hello and thanked people for being there. He hated having to be that social, but it was for her. So he smiled and made small talk with relatives he hadn't heard from in years and friends of Piper's and people he had thought had disappeared. He tried not to spout off random facts about wedding traditions or things like that, since he knew it would annoy the guests like it did to everyone. He and Piper had been talking about them earlier, so there was some small consolation.

He was relieved when it was finally time for them to go, stopping off at home before their flight out in the morning, first to New York and then transferring to a plane that would take them to Greece. Piper collapsed onto the bed, kicking off her high heels as Chester ran up to them. Reid untied his tie, dropping down next to her after throwing his suit jacket on a chair. "I'm so glad that party's over," he sighed.

Piper agreed. "I loved it. But there's only so many times I can tell my great-aunt Merle that you're not a medical doctor. She keeps thinking you're in pediatrics or something, and that's all she wanted to talk about. At least she didn't ask you to take a look at a mole or something." She yawned, getting up to wash her makeup off and change out of her dress, which she carefully hung in the closet. Reid watched her for a moment before jumping in the shower. "I'm going to go microwave us some leftovers, since we barely got to eat between all the people trying to talk to us. At least Garcia got us some cake."

"Thanks," he called back from the bathroom.

Piper was eating dinner on the sofa when Reid came over with a plate, putting his glasses on. He was already in his pajamas, taking a seat next to her. "Hey. You know, you look nice in a suit and in pajamas... quite a rare quality in a person."

"Hey, I was thinking-"

"That's dangerous," she joked, watching him yawn. "What's up?"

"Gideon gave you away."

"Yeah."

"That's usually something the bride's father does. It's traditional. You've hardly mentioned him, or your mom, since we met," he brought up, taking a bite of his food. "Thanks for heating everything up, by the way."

"My parents died when I was a kid." She didn't say much else, but she could feel his eyes on her, waiting for the answer to a question he didn't dare to ask. Sighing, Piper turned to him. "There's a reason why each one of us went into the FBI. Morgan's dad was a cop who got killed. Hotch was a lawyer looking for something more. You needed a challenge that getting degrees wouldn't satisfy after too long. I'm here because of something that happened when I was a kid. My parents were murdered by a man named Charles Beauchamp. He killed 25 women over 10 years… they never counted my dad in his body count. He saw my mom get killed in front of him, and he killed himself a week later."

"Beauchamp… the Redmond Ripper?" Reid asked, his eyebrows knit together as he tried to remember the case.

"Yeah."

"I thought he was only active in North Dakota."

"He was. I was born there. Moved to Florida to live with with my great-aunt Merle after my parents died, went for my undergrad there, came to DC, did grad school, joined the FBI… I did my best to put it behind me," she explained, Reid taking her hand. "My god, you look exhausted."

"I've got a headache. It's been a long day. But still, how did I never figure that out?"

"I don't tell people. I had Garcia hide it under a ton of other things in my file. It's not a common topic of conversation."

"You don't remember it, do you?" Piper sighed, Reid apologizing immediately. "I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's okay. It's an understandable question. I don't remember much. I was staying at a friend's house, but my dad came to pick me up early in the morning. He said something bad had happened." She closed her eyes, picturing all of the police cars surrounding her house. "There were cops everywhere. He told me not to look, he told me not to go in, but I ran underneath all of the police lines and into the house and up the stairs, right into the room where they had her under a sheet. There was so much blood… dad had just dropped something off with me when she had been killed. I'd forgotten my favorite stuffed animal, and he'd volunteered to bring it so my mom could get some sleep. She'd had a long day at work and… I always used to think that if I hadn't insisted on having that stupid stuffed horse with me, he would've been there to stop him, or to at least fight him off. He would have been ready. But I saw it… there was so much blood, and… one of the detectives tried making me move, tried explaining it as best she could to a five-year-old, but I wanted to stay. I… that's the moment I got obsessed with serial killers."

She opened her eyes again, looking to Reid, who squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry. I… I'm not sure what to tell-"

"You don't have to tell me anything. They caught him, and he's serving time. There's no death penalty in North Dakota, but at least I know he'll be locked away forever. I've moved through the stages of grief, and I used it to get me here. It's okay, Spence."

"That's why you check on us so much when we're off on cases," he determined. "Why you insist on calling every day, making sure we're okay."

"Sort of. I also miss you and want to hear your voice. Not everything I do is because my family was butchered." She took another bite of her food. "Why don't we focus on making sure we have everything packed for tomorrow?"

"Okay, but if you ever want to talk about it…"

"I'm good, Spence, I swear. Are you okay?" He had rubbed his eyes, blinking hard.

"Fine. I'll be fine once I get some sleep," he promised. "Could you turn one of the lights off?"

"Yeah, not a problem. It's probably from not eating for a while and having to be so social," she reasoned, standing up to turn one of the lights off. She sat back down next to Reid, who leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Thanks." He closed his eyes, kissing her cheek. "I'll be fine, don't worry."


	22. Seaver

"Spence, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," he promised, pouring another cup of coffee and retreating into the semi-darkness of his cubicle.

"You were dying while we were in Greece." Piper followed him to his desk, sitting down in a chair that she pulled over. "Even with sunglasses and umbrellas and a ton of Advil, the light was killing you. I can tell. There's something-"

"I'm fine," he stressed. "Hey, have you met Seaver?"

"Seaver?"

"I'll take that as a no. She's over there. Go say hi."

"Okay," Piper nodded. "But this isn't over." She stood, taking her coffee cup to where a blonde woman was trying to get the copy machine to work. "Hi. I'm Piper."

"You're Dr. Reid's wife, right? I'm Ashley Seaver. I'm training with your team while I finish up at the Academy." She shook Piper's hand with a warm smile.

"I'm also a doctor," Piper smiled. "Dr. Marston, Dr. Reid, Piper, agent, whatever you want to call me, as long as I know you're talking to me. It's nice to meet you."

"You too. It's Marston, right?"

"Piper, yeah. Oh, and by the way, you have to hit the button twice if you want it to print like that. It's been broken for ages. Oh, here comes Garcia. Time for a new case, I guess. C'mon, let's go. You can get that copied later."

"We've got two families butchered in White Plains," Garcia said, putting pictures up in the briefing room. "There was a third one last night. But this time, they left a survivor by mistake." She put up a picture of a little boy with a gap-toothed grin. "This is Nathan Braun, four years old. He was at a sleepover with his best friend when the rest of his family was killed."

"From the looks of it Mom got killed first, then the sister," Rossi deduced, looking through the file. "Dad got home from dropping the kid off, then got shot as he walked into the door."

"Where's the kid?" Piper asked, looking to Garcia. Reid reached for her hand under the table, giving it a squeeze.

"He's living with the friend's family for now, but he's probably going to be placed in foster care. No living relatives that are fit to take care of a child," Garcia answered. "I've already got a plane on the airstrip. We're out in 30, my friends."

"If this is too close," Reid began, pulling Piper aside as the team filed out of the door, "You can always stay here with Garcia."

"This is my first case back with all of you. I'm not going to miss anything," she countered.

"I'd stay with you."

"Spence, I'm going. There's a little kid that needs someone exactly like me to help track down the monster that killed his family. I'm not going to stop now."

"I'm just saying, it's awfully close-"

"I am getting on that plane," Piper resolved, grabbing her bag from her cubicle. Seaver glanced at her, not saying anything but taking mental notes all the same. "I'll be fine. Right now, there's a little boy who is just as scared and alone as I was, Spence, and he needs my help. I have to do this."

They had been on the plane for half an hour when Reid went to take a nap, Seaver taking his seat next to Piper. "Can I ask you something?"

Figuring it was a training question, Piper nodded, setting aside the newspaper she had been reading. "Sure."

"I might have overheard you talking to your husband," Seaver began. She swallowed, not meeting Piper's eye. "What did you mean when you were saying that kid is exactly like you were?"

"That's a bit out of line, asking things like that when we've just met," Piper replied, "but I understand. You're curious. I would have done the same thing. But I'll tell you, since you asked. My parents were murdered while I was at a sleepover. I was five. That's part of what led me here. Thankfully I grew up with my great-aunt, got into a good school, adjusted as well as I could." She glanced over to where Reid was sleeping in the shadows of the back of the plane. "Got married, even."

Seaver nodded, looking slightly more anxious. "Did you know his name?"

"Yeah. Charles Beauchamp, the Redmond Ripper. He killed 25 women… my father killed himself a week or so after…" Piper sighed, adding, "He's spending life in prison. I've visited him a couple of times."

"Oh."

"He has a daughter. She would be a bit younger than me now." Piper looked out the window, watching the countryside fly past. "He likes talking about her. Says she never visits, but he still writes. I don't blame her, though. I don't know if I could bring myself to visit if I grew up knowing what my father did."

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "There's nothing to be sorry for. Life happens. And this is just part of it. Have you had a chance to take a deeper look into the file?"

"Uh, yeah. Mind if I run some things by you?"

They landed a few hours later, Hotch dividing them up. "Rossi, Prentiss, and Reid can take the police station, start getting us set up. Morgan and I are going to head to the morgue, see if we can get a hint at a profile from the last family. Piper and Seaver, go to the scene, see if you can get anything from there. Then check up on the boy. I know you've been straining to do that." He looked directly at Piper as she nodded. "Take care of things."

They arrived at a scene that Piper could only describe as a bloodbath. The downstairs was covered in bloody footprints - "three sets," Seaver concluded. "The husband, the wife, and the unsub."

"It could be two unsubs," Piper countered, "since the wife got killed upstairs. She went first." She strode up the stairs, looking at the bedroom. "She was in bed when she was stabbed. She tried calling out for her husband, and she tried getting up. Maybe she fought back. That's why there's so much blood on the floor, she tried to get away. They found the body on the bed, but that's where the unsub dropped her. The husband was blitz attacked in the front hall. He wasn't expecting anything when he came home. The unsub - or unsubs - killed the girl too, but in much less of a violent manner." She paused, looking at the bed, which was still covered in blood. It was already decaying, but she could picture the scene as it was when the bodies were discovered. "The mother was stabbed," she concluded. "But the daughter and husband had their throats slashed. It could be an unsub with sex issues - stabbing is often a substitute for sex."

"So we're looking for an unsub or two with sexual issues that are good at breaking and entering - possibly a criminal background?" Seaver concluded as Piper looked out of the window. "Some sort of breaking and entering charges?"

"I think so. There's no sign of a struggle near the door. They broke in with specialized burglary tools."

They spent a while down the block with the boy's friend's family. As Seaver talked to the parents, Piper went to find Nathan, who was sitting in a blanket fort with his friend. "Hi there," she smiled. "My name's Piper. I like your fort. Can I come in?"

They both nodded, scooting over for her to fit in the fort. "Hey, Peter, could you get us some snacks?"

"Okay." The other boy jumped up, saying, "We've got Goldfish in the pantry. And juice."

"That's perfect." She waited until he had walked off to ask his mother to get them snacks before turning back to Nathan. He was a cute little kid, missing one of his front teeth but covered in freckles. His brownish hair stuck up a bit, despite every effort to keep it down.

"Are you a police?"

Piper nodded. "I'm going to help find the bad guy who hurt your family. You know, when I was your age, a bad guy hurt my family too. It took a while, but they found him. And I grew up to work with the police. I'm going to find the bad guy, okay? I promise. I just need you to be brave like I was. Can you do that?"

The little boy nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." Peter returned with a bowl of Goldfish crackers and an armful of juice boxes, Piper accepting one gratefully. "I have to go talk to your mom now, but I'm glad you boys are having fun." She stood, taking her juice box and heading for where Seaver and Peter's mom were talking. "He's doing okay," she concluded, nodding at both of them. "Is he really heading into the foster system?"

"He has to. I'd love to keep him, but there's no way Matt and I could support another kid. He just got excised, and we might have to move as it is," Peter's mom admitted, looking to where the two boys were playing. "It's just so sad for a kid to grow up knowing that something happened to his parents… something so terrible like that." She shook her head, sighing. "I wish there was more we could do."

"You're doing the best thing you can for him. He needs a friend and a supportive family right now," Piper told her. "You're doing the right thing, Mrs. Hawkinson. We'll be in touch as we find out more."

They met up with the rest of the team at the police station, Rossi having set up a board for them all to add evidence to. "I'm thinking it's one or two unsubs, at least one of them with sexual issues, based on the stabbing," Piper began as the team reassembled.

"He's also probably got a history of breaking and entering," Seaver suggested. "Since he used professional tools on the door, it makes sense that he's got a history."

Hotch nodded. "I'll have Garcia run a list of local burglaries in the last few years." He dialed the technical analyist, waiting as the phone rang.

"What's up, head Hotch-o?"

"We're going to need you to run a list of burglaries in the area. Look for people with a history of breaking and entering," Hotch instructed.

"Cross-check the arrests with people who had leg or knee injuries in the last few years," Morgan suggested. "Footprints from all three scenes showed that he had a limp. Try right leg injuries."

"He probably knew the families," Prentiss suggested. "He moved through the houses quickly, even though he was injured. He knew what he was doing, and he knew how to get out of there quickly. Police response time is fast, and the neighbors called the police pretty quickly in every case."

"He's someone known in the neighborhood," Rossi nodded. "One of the 'I never would have thought, he was such a nice guy' type of killers."

"Cross-checking people they all knew with injuries to legs or knees and arrest records for burglary gives me five names. Sending them to you now. Garcia out." She hung up, all of them agreeing to divide the names and investigate in the morning, since it was well after nightfall and it would be best not to disturb them. Considering there was one killing every week, invariably on a Thursday, they had a few days.

Piper and Reid were exhausted, dropping into bed almost as soon as they got back to their room. "You still have a headache?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine, don't worry about it."

She gave him a hug, saying, "Spence, I know you don't want to hear this, but-"

"It's not that."

"I didn't-"

"It's not," he insisted. "I'm not hearing voices, I'm not seeing things, I'm not-"

"Spence, I was just going to suggest you go see a doctor," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "Here, give me your glasses and lay down." He obliged, Piper setting his glasses next to the alarm clock. She cuddled up next to him, running a hand through his hair and saying, "You're going to be okay, Spence. Even if there is something, we'll take care of it. And I'll be right here, no matter what it is or isn't."

"How are you doing?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Fine," she nodded, kissing his forehead. "Just a little worried about you."

"I meant with the case."

"That poor boy doesn't deserve to grow up in the system and knowing that his parents were murdered. He's doing well, but… I wish he had someone to go to like I did."

"Hmm."

"You're thinking."

"That's kind of hard to do right now," he sighed, Piper frowning.

She gave him another kiss, saying, "You need to get that brilliant brain checked out, Spence. It's only going to keep scaring you and keep you in pain until you do."

"I know. And you're right, I am thinking. I'm thinking… well, we need to spend more time with him, but-"

"You're not suggesting we-" She was interrupted by a knock on the door. "I'll be right back, babe." Piper gave him one more kiss, standing to see who was knocking. Seaver stood outside their door, pacing a bit. "Hey. Something wrong?"

"I've... I knew I had to tell you this as soon as I figured it out." Seaver took a deep breath, looking her in the eye. "My dad killed your parents."


	23. Nate

"Spence, I've got to talk to Ashley about something. I'll be right back."

"Is everything okay?" he asked from the bed, sitting up and putting a hand to his forehead. "Ugh, it's bright."

"Everything's fine," Piper assured him. "She just wants to talk." She grabbed a room key, stepping outside with Seaver.

They spent the next hour out in the hotel's breakfast room, talking over cups of tea. Seaver kept apologizing, and Piper kept telling her that it was okay, that she wasn't her father and his actions didn't determine what they thought of her. "It's okay. It's fine. I don't blame you for anything, and I'm not mad."

"He took away your childhood, and yet you still visit him… Why?"

"He was the first serial killer I ever met," Piper told her, confessing that, "I… he made me wonder how the mind of a psychopath worked. How a man with a family and a career and a life of his own could do that to other people. He's what got me here, the reason I met Reid, the reason behind so many other things in my life… I… I wouldn't change my life. I miss my parents every day, but there's no way I would trade the life I have now for an uncertain future."

Seaver nodded. "What… what is he like?"

"He's a psychopath. I've visited him since I turned 18, and I wrote when I was away at school. He's done a lot of terrible things, but he misses his family, especially his daughter. He's a decent person, despite everything he's done."

They stayed up a while longer, talking about all sorts of things. It was late when they got up, heading back up the elevator and towards their end of the hall. Piper crept back into her room as Seaver went to bed, bidding her goodnight. Reid was curled up and starting to snore, Piper smiling as she locked the door. At least he couldn't hurt in his sleep. He really did need to get his headaches checked out. He'd spent their honeymoon ducking into the shade and popping Advil and Ibuprofen, saying everything hurt his eyes. Sure, they'd taken some great pictures, but it had almost killed him. She ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "You're going to have to get that brilliant brain checked out, Spence. I can't even think of anything happening to you." She curled up next to him, giving the sleeping detective a kiss before drifting off to sleep herself.

In the morning, the team met over breakfast, splitting up to get work done. Piper and Seaver were on an interview together, heading over to a rundown house in the middle of nowhere. Seaver kept trying to apologize again, Piper cutting her off with a final, "It's okay. I've accepted what happened and I've made it part of my life. But I don't let it define my life. We're almost there, so we're going to need to compose ourselves, yeah?"

"Okay. Do you mind if I lead?" she asked as they pulled into the driveway after a long trip out of the city and into the woods.

Piper nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Sure. I'll be here if you need me to guide the questioning, but you're free to ask what you need."

They were hardly out of the car when Morgan called. "Get back here. We might not need you two by the time you make it back, but we're moving in on the unsubs' house right now. You girls were right - it's two of them. We got a hit on the Davenport file and found out he's been living with another guy with a rap sheet a mile long. They've been working in a team since an arrest for breaking into a home five years ago, just taking turns in prison."

"Send us the address and we'll be on the way." Piper motioned for Seaver to get back in the car and to check her phone. "Do you think they're going to put up much of a fight?"

"They usually use knives, so we're thinking they're not going to pull a gun. Wear your vests just in case. See you soon."

"See you soon." She hung up, pulling out of the driveway as Morgan sent over an address. As they sped down a dirt road towards the freeway, Piper told her junior agent what was going to happen. "They found the unsubs. They live together and both have a history of burglary offenses. The team is getting ready to move in on them, so we might get there too late. But still, we've got to try."

Seaver looked out the window at the trees rushing by. They were practically a blur, Piper driving with a lead foot. "They're going to move in on them now?"

"Yeah. We don't have much time, but we might be able to make it to see the arrest. They'll be negotiating for a little while, anyway." They veered off of the freeway, making their way towards the address Morgan had sent. "We'll probably just catch the end. They can fill us in. We don't have to be there for all of it. Hopefully they won't resist too much."

"I wish we had a siren," Seaver sighed, seeing red and blue lights in the rearview mirror. Piper slowed and pulled off to the side of the road, pulling out her badge as the officer walked up to their car.

"Federal agent. We're on the way to make an arrest in White Plains. It's the family murder cases," she said as the police officer bent to look in the window. "We've both got registered weapons, and we can give you all of the info on the car if you want, but-"

"I lived down the block from the first family that was killed. Go ahead. I'll put out a call to make sure no one else pulls you over, I just need your plate. Get those bastards."

Piper nodded. "Thank you. Seaver, put your badge away." She had hardly rolled up the window when she sped off, racing toward the rest of their team. They turned sharply onto another street, Piper not bothering to slow down at all. "There."

Several cars had blocked the road, FBI agents and police mingling as news vans started to pull up. They could see Hotch and Morgan guiding the unsubs towards a waiting police car. Nevertheless, Piper and Seaver sprinted towards the others, who had grouped up with the local sheriff. "Hey. Sorry we missed all the action, but we got pulled over after we left."

"They didn't take long to convince," Reid explained as they watched the unsubs being locked in the back of a couple of patrol cars. "They gave up after ten or fifteen minutes. Well, twelve minutes and eleven seconds."

"That's good. I guess we made it back just in time to take down our evidence wall," Seaver shrugged, moving to ask Rossi a question about the arrest.

"We're flying out in the morning," Reid added as Piper took off her bulletproof vest, setting it on the hood of her car. "Hotch wants us to clean everything up while they process and question him. Do you want to drive, or should I?"

"I'll drive," she responded immediately. "We'll get everything boxed up and grab some dinner. I'm already starving."

"I think I've got some granola bars in my bag," he offered as they jumped back into the car. "Agh."

"You okay?" She grabbed a granola bar, munching as she buckled her seatbelt. Rossi was walking over, preparing to knock on the window. "It's not another h-"

He interrupted as she rolled the window down, not wanting to alert Rossi. "Yes."

Rossi leaned on the window, saying, "We're going to all head to the same place, but I want you two getting our files in order and making sure we've synched our information with the sheriff's office's system. The rest of us are going to split them up and question them. Make sure you pay special attention to the last family."

"If it's okay with you, sir, I'd like to drop in and see how Nathan's doing."

"Of course."

As Piper drove away, Reid sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head on the window. "I'm sorry, I just… he doesn't need to know."

"I won't mention it to anyone," Piper promised as they turned away from the blockade. "This won't take long, but I do want to check up on them. You should meet Nathan. He's a sweet kid. You'll like him."

They spent the evening having dinner with Peter's family, his mother insisting on them staying. Reid ended up in the blanket fort playing with the boys while Piper stood in the kitchen talking to Peter's mom, Sarah. "Have they still been unable to locate any relatives?" she asked as Sarah took a dish out of the oven.

Sarah nodded, setting it on the counter carefully. "We're trying to keep him with us as long as we can, but the state's going to take him after the case is cleared. He's such a bright boy - they want him to skip a grade, and we're setting him up for IQ testing. He could be doing great things, but if he's put in the system…" She shook her head sadly, taking plates out of a cabinet. "Can you set the table for me? I've still got to heat a few things up."

"Hey, honey, what's for dinner?" Her husband, Matt, walked into the kitchen, kissing his wife hello. "Ooh, lasagna? Nice. I think the interview went well. Hello, Dr. Marston."

"Hello. Where was your interview?"

"The local bank," he told her, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and pouring himself some water. "I was a branch manager sometime long ago in my career. I'm hoping I'll be able to pick it up again. I saw Dr. Reid in the den with the boys. They're building a Lego spaceship, I think."

Piper smiled. "That sounds like him. Do you need any more help, Sarah?"

"If you could just round up the boys for me, that would be great."

Piper headed out to the living room, where Reid and the two little boys were indeed working on a spaceship, chattering away about space travel and how much power it took to escape the atmosphere. "Hey there, my little scientists, it's time for dinner."

Later that night, while Piper and Reid were taking pushpins off of the corkboard and boxing up maps and pictures of the victims, Reid paused. He set down the map he had been rolling up, turning to look at his wife in the half-lit office. The police officers had all gone home. They were the only ones left in the station, except for the team questioning the men they had arrested. Piper turned back to look at him, raising an eyebrow. Reid broke the silence first, saying, "It's a shame that he's going to be stuck in the system. He's a brilliant kid. He's reading stuff that I read at his age, and he wants to build rockets and work for NASA. There's no way he's going to get to do that if he's in the foster system."

"You practically raised yourself, and you made it," she responded, sitting down on a desk. "But you're right. It's going to be so much harder for him, especially knowing what he knows about his family."

Reid bit his lip, proposing something he had been thinking about for a while. "How would you feel if we… if we tried to keep him with us?"

"Spence, are you suggesting we try to adopt this kid?"

"We've talked about it before. And he's such a nice kid, and-"

"He reminds you of you as a kid. He lost everything, and he's got so far to go, he must remind you of yourself." Reid nodded as Piper ran a hand through her hair, sighing. "You're right, though. He's sweet, and he's smart, and he's got a hell of a better chance with us. Lord, Spence, we've only been married for a little over a month now, but… we should try. He deserves a family. Let's sleep on it, though, just to make sure we're ready for this. But it's not… it's a good idea. We'll have to make some changes, but we can do it. I know how much you like him already." They spent another half hour cleaning everything up, going to check on the interrogations before heading back to their hotel. Reid jumped into the shower, Piper sitting by the window and thinking.

 _You're going to be a mother. Both of you can't be in the field. You can't keep disappearing if you want to raise a kid. Spence deserves to be out in the field. He'd go crazy without it. But you'll go crazy too. You can switch off on cases. No, that won't work. You can teach and consult from the office. But it's still going to be hard, especially if he's always going away. You remember how hard it was. And you saw the toll it took on Haley. No, you'll talk to him every day, and make sure he takes vacations, and keep him close. And you can finally write that book you've been planning for a while. Besides, you can work local cases. Spence will - wait, he's still having those headaches. The MRIs didn't show anything. As a psychologist, I don't think he's developing anything. But he's in pain, and he doesn't want anything stronger than Advil. He needs help. He -_

"I'm pretty sure we've used all the towels," Reid said, standing in front of the mirror. "Hmm, I need to shave."

"I'll just shower in the morning before we fly out. Hang up a towel for me so it'll dry overnight." She changed into her pajamas, coming over to stand next to him, placing her head on his shoulder. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, is something up with Prentiss? She seems a lot more distant lately, and more on guard than normal."

"She's having problems with something, I can tell, but I'm not sure what," Reid told her, brushing his teeth. "I think it's something to do with her past."

"International work? Do you think someone's after her?"

He shook his head, talking through a mouth full of toothpaste. "I don't think so. We would know if it was something that big. She's doing fine, or at least it seems like she's handling things on her own. I think we should focus on lining up all of our paperwork and getting Nate's things in order."

"What about you?"

"I'm okay."

"You showered in the dark. Your head's still killing you."

"I've been looking at different doctors. I'll find something." He washed his mouth out, yawning and heading for the bed.

Piper set her glasses aside, getting into bed next to him. "I still think something's wrong. With you and with Prentiss."

"You worry too much." He flicked the lights off, wrapping his arms around her. "It'll all work out."

"It worries you, so it worries me," she countered. "And I'm worried about Prentiss too. Something's up, I swear."


	24. Lauren Reynolds is Dead

"Ian Doyle's got to still be in the city. He's hunting," JJ said, explaining everything to Piper. She had been out on a phone call with the adoption agency when Hotch was briefing representatives from different agencies and the local police, telling them about the roadblocks that had been set up. Doyle had been placed on every agency's list after a gunfight and several murders in the city. "He's got us, the CIA, Interpol, the DC police, pretty much everyone on their feet."

Piper surveyed the room, which was full of agents and police from all over the greater DC area. "Does Prentiss have anything on him? She's still got connections at Interpol, right?"

"Nothing yet. Reid's sifting through footage of his arrest, trying to contact anyone who was there to keep them out of danger. Garcia's tracking his history, even though a lot of it has been sealed," JJ told her. "I've got to get word out to the media. I - I'm only back for this case. Hotch called the Pentagon and made some arrangements. But I'll be heading out again. It's good to see you, by the way. We do need to catch up. For now, though, we've got to get this guy before he kills again."

Stopping by where Reid was working, Piper glanced over his shoulder. "If you need someone to translate-"

"I'll be okay," he promised. "I'm not quite fluent, but I can understand it well enough."

She pulled up a chair, leaning in to whisper. "I think this is something to do with Prentiss' international work. She's really guarded, Spence. She snapped at Garcia and I earlier, and I just know something's wrong. I think she knows this guy. There's no way I can make her admit it, but she's got a whole lot of sealed Interpol and CIA records that Garcia's trying to open, and I can practically promise he's in them."

"We'll figure that out when the time comes," Reid answered, trying to zoom in on a figure. "Do you have any idea how to work this thing?"

"I'd say send it down to Garcia for analysis," she proposed, standing up again. "I have no idea why they had you looking through all of this in the first place. You're not exactly our tech guy. Oh, the agency says they want to come and visit us one more time, but everything's looking good. We might have him soon."

Reid smiled, standing to give his wife a hug. "That's great news. Laura's got to schedule the visit for - wait. Laura... Lauren Reynolds is dead."

"What? The adoption agency's contact is Laura Wilkes."

"Lauren Reynolds, Prentiss said that days ago. She said she was a friend of hers back from her days overseas. She was reminding herself that Lauren Reynolds had died. But it was more like a mantra… Piper, she's got to be Lauren Reynolds. That was her cover."

"That means she's on the list. Doyle's going to be after her. That's what was in her record that we can't get at," Piper realized. "We've got to tell Hotch. I'll set up a time with Laura later, I've got to find - wait, where is Prentiss?"

"She left her gun and ID," Rossi noted, opening her desk drawer as Hotch came over. "She's running. We know Doyle hunts families. Her mother is out of the country, so he would be hunting us."

"She's protecting us," JJ said, coming over to see what was going on. "She's not going to want to be found."

"I've already called in some people from counterterrorism to help us. We're going to need to sift through her life, through her old team's life. We need a team in Boston, where the Doyle case started, and we need people searching her house. It won't be fun going through our friend's life, but we have to do it if we want a chance at saving Emily and stopping Doyle."

"I'm going to try all of her numbers," Garcia said, passing by to grab her go-bag. "She's probably killed most of them by now, and I'm sure half of them are burners, but I have to try."

"We're up in 20," Hotch determined, heading for his office. "Grab your bags, run to the bathroom, turn off your computers, whatever you need to do to be on that plane when it goes up. This is personal, you know it."

"We need to bring in any associates of the IRA, the Irish Mafia, anything you can think of," Rossi told them on the plane.

JJ nodded, putting her phone to her chest. "I'm coordinating an effort with our people in Boston right now. They'll already be working by the time we get there. We can meet them when we land and hit the ground running."

"JJ, Garcia, Piper, you'll be on documents. Follow the money. The rest of us will be taking interviews and tracking people down. We have to get to her before he does."

Piper ended up in an office with Garcia, running analyses and trying to track down members of Doyle's group over the internet. "He's got a warehouse somewhere. We need you to find it," Hotch said, coming up to them after leaving an interrogation room.

Garcia nodded, pulling her laptop closer. "I'm on it." Five minutes later, they were on their way, speeding towards a warehouse that Garcia had found in his file. Hotch called ahead, setting up a SWAT team and getting the power cut. No one said anything in the car, Hotch's phone call being the only noise except for the screech of the tires as Morgan took turns at full speed.

The SWAT team had surrounded the building and cleared the street, just waiting for the BAU team to arrive before they went in. Morgan had hardly turned the car off when they ran in, the others trailing him. Everything happened so quickly: There were gunshots, people running everywhere, lots of yelling. Over it all, Morgan was calling for an ambulance, Prentiss clutching his hand as they waited and the others were subdued. Piper found herself driving a van full of shocked FBI agents towards the hospital. Again, no one said anything, trying to focus on the ambulance weaving through traffic ahead of them.

"Is there any way we can speed up?" Seaver asked from the passenger's seat. "I'm losing sight of the ambulance."

"Morgan's with her. She won't be alone," Piper assured her. "I can still see the ambulance. We're almost there."

Garcia met them at the hospital, taking a seat next to Reid as Piper paced, Hotch and Seaver going to check on the surgery for the third time in half an hour. Everyone was waiting together, living off of vending machine snacks, if they could bring themselves to eat at all. They weren't saying much, clutching each other's hands and voicing their worries every so often. PIper would come by to squeeze Reid's shoulder, Reid squeezing her hand for a moment before she paced to the other side of the room.

"I can't stand this!" Garcia jumped up, joining Piper in her pacing. "I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"It's what we have to do," Hotch told her, coming back and looking grim. "She's fighting, but it looks bad."

Reid put his head in his hands, Piper looking over to him. She could tell that he was getting another headache. She sat on the arm of his chair, putting her arm around his shoulders as he absentmindedly checked his watch. "You okay?"

He looked up at her, shaking his head. "My eyes hurt. Like when you're super tired but you keep working, or-"

"It's okay." She rubbed his shoulder, watching Garcia pace. "If you want to try to sleep it off, I promise I'll let you know if anything changes."

"No, I… I'd rather stay up. Can you stay here, though?"

"Of course."

She had been sitting with Reid for a few minutes when Seaver and Hotch went to check on Prentiss again. This time, though, they returned quickly, shaking their heads. "She never made it off the table," Seaver told them.

Garcia took her glasses off, rubbing her eyes and hugging Morgan as she began to cry. Piper turned to Reid, giving him a hug before he stood to hug Hotch and Seaver. Rossi went to the window, looking out with a sigh. JJ gave Piper a hug, starting to cry. "I've been to too many funerals lately," she whispered. "And now Emily… oh lord, Emily…"

* * *

A.N.: What did you all think of the loss of Prentiss? I wasn't a huge fan of her in the beginning, but she grew on me, and it was sad to see her go. Well, it was sad to see what happened to her... Oh, and I'm posting a bit early today bc I'm having a bunch of people over and I have to clean the house.


	25. Nathan Reid

"I shouldn't be on a couch like this," Piper sighed, looking to Hotch.

"It's protocol. We have to all do assessments of ourselves and the others after something like this," he explained. "I'd rather do it than make you all talk to someone from the outside."

"I'm a psychologist," she countered, taking a sip of her tea. "I could have done this."

"I know, but Strauss asked me if I want to talk to you all or if I wanted someone from the outside. You weren't really brought up as an option. Now I know you and Prentiss weren't terribly close, but how are you doing?"

"I'm… I'm doing better than a lot of people," she admitted, looking over to him. "Hotch, you're right, we weren't close, but I miss her. I miss her, and I'm worried about all of this adoption stuff going though, and Spence…" She sighed, Hotchner taking the opportunity to talk.

"The adoption paperwork will all work out. It's actually going to work much quicker. I passed along my letter of support this morning," he told her. "The agency knows you're good people, and I'm hoping my letter will add to that. If you two need some time off when it all happens, you're more than welcome to take it."

"Thank you," she smiled a bit, thinking that she would have to tell Reid.

"Now what about Spencer?"

"He… he asked me not to say anything to you, but he's been getting these terrible migraine headaches. He can't sleep a lot, and they hurt him so much. There's nothing wrong with his brain, and I know he's afraid that it's the onset of schizophrenia like his mother has," she admitted, Hotch taking her hand as the words began spilling out of her mouth. "He's been ging to different doctors and driving hours out of the city to find someone, but they're all saying the same thing. It's nothing structural. As a psychologist, I'm pretty certain it's not schizophrenia, but I know he's afraid that's what it is. He still refuses to see a psychologist about them, though. He's doing everything he can, but I know they're killing him, and this is only going to make things worse. He tries his best to keep up appearances here. He'll let me in on a bit more when we're at home, but he's hiding it. He's hiding the pain and everything, and there's nothing I can really do to help."

Hotch nodded, waiting until she was done to say, "It's just important that you listen. Don't push him, but make sure he's not worrying himself sick or anything. He'll find someone who will know what's going on. Just make sure you stick with him while he does. I'm sure he's going to be frustrated, and he'll want to rant to you about it, Keep me updated, though. I need to know what's going on with my agents."

Piper agreed, promising that, "I'll let you know. I think he'll cheer up through the adoption process, though."

"Speaking of the adoption," Hotch brought up, "have you two decided what you're going to be doing in regards to the BAU?"

"We're going to switch off on cases while we all - the team included - transition, but after that, I'm going to be moving to the Academy so I can be here for Nate. Spencer's still going to be flying out places, but it'll give him some sort of stability. Nate, I mean."

She and Reid took the next few days off, cleaning out the spare room in their apartment and repainting it, buying all sorts of things they thought they would need. They stayed up late Friday night, conferencing with the rest of the team, who had flown out to Iowa on a case. Piper had set up her laptop as she folded clothes and put them in drawers in what would be Nate's room, hopefully starting in the morning. Reid sat cross-legged on the floor, indexing books on the shelves next to the bed. They would listen in, talking when they had something to contribute while the team sat at a conference table in the police station. Finally, Hotch told the team that it was time to sign off, saying, "Get some rest. You'll need it tomorrow. Good luck with everything… hopefully the next time we all talk, you'll be the Reids plus one."

"Thanks," Piper smiled, Reid calling his thanks from the floor. "We'll talk to you tomorrow. Good luck finding the unsub. Like I said, you'll want to look into the river district. Oh, and pull JJ back into the loop - she's taking over my job for me, remember?"

"Will do," Morgan assured her. "We'll keep you updated, but we're all expecting pictures of you and the kid tomorrow."

"Will do," Reid mocked, turning to Piper. "Do we have any more books boxed up anywhere?"

"We have some of your old ones, but they're all on a shelf in the study. Goodnight, everybody." There was a chorus of "goodnight" and "good luck" before the team signed off. Piper shutting her laptop. She sat down on the bed, looking over at her husband, who was shelving the last few books. "I can't believe this is actually happening."

"Me either." He got up and sat next to her, adding, "You can't let him get at all of your crime books. The psych ones, maybe, but the graphic stuff you've got on Gacy and Ramirez and all of them-"

"Don't worry, I already put them up on the higher shelves. God, Spence, we're about to be parents. It doesn't freak you out a bit?"

"I'm terrified," he admitted, leaning his head on her shoulder. "What if we screw up? What if we inflict permanent psychological damage on this kid?"

"We won't," she promised, taking his hand. "Sure, we might screw up a little bit, but everyone does. No one has perfect parents. We've just got to be better than our own parents were."

"Yeah, you're right. We should try to get some sleep. They want us there early tomorrow morning. It's the courthouse, then the agency for the final paperwork, and then lunch, right?"

"Yeah. C'mon."

The next morning went by quickly, at least until they had to wait to get into court. And to get to the adoption agency. And to sign paperwork. Reid and Piper held hands throughout everything, whispering to each other excitedly as they moved through their day. They hardly ate breakfast, and were starving by the time they got to the adoption agency's office. "Laura, hi," piper smiled, shaking the woman's hand. "It's nice to see you again."

Laura was a kindly older woman who had worked adoptions for decades. She sat down at her desk and Piper and Reid took a seat across from her. "Well, everything looks like it's in order. We've got the legal stuff out of the way, we've got him officially labeled a Reid - we'll have a certificate for you in a few weeks, once it gets through records and Social Security - and I have a file full of recommendations and people vouching for you. Congratulations, Dr. Reids, you're officially parents."

"How soon is he going to fly out?"

The older woman took a breath, standing and heading over to another door, which lead into a different office. She knocked twice, turning back to Piper and Reid. "Actually, I thought it would be nice for you to get to tell him he's yours in person." She opened the door, Nathan running out to hug them.

Reid scooped him up in his arms, smiling more than Piper had seen him smile in weeks. "How are you, buddy? Was the plane ride cool? Do you want some lunch?"

As he and Nathan were talking, Piper hugged Laura, thanking her. "You're a miracle worker, I swear. Thank you so much."

"You three are good to go," Laura told her. "Congratulations."

Reid sat in the back of the car with Nathan as Piper drove to the restaurant, a little local burger place that she had fallen in love with when she first moved to DC. She'd dragged Reid there every chance she got, and they'd spent hours talking over plates of the best fries in the city. The boys were chattering away about space camp and soccer teams and what Nathan's room was going to look like. As she parked, she paused to take a picture of the two of them engrossed in their conversation. She sent it to the team, dropping the pictures in their group chat (which Reid had only recently joined, finding the jokes about him to be excessive and muting it immediately). Almost immediately, people were answering her, saying how cute they looked. She shot back an "Aren't you on a case?" before getting out of the car and heading into the restaurant with her family.

They spent the day shopping for more things for Nathan, since he would be starting school in the fall, and running around DC. By the time they got home, they were all tired, but Nathan was excited to see his room. Chester bounded up to the boy, barking and licking him as he laughed, dropping to his knees to hug the dog. Together, they ran into Nathan's new room, Reid following as the boy jumped onto his bed. Piper joined them as soon as she set her purse down and locked the front door behind them. "You like it?"

"It's great!" Nathan had dropped his backpack on the floor next to the bed, turning over to look at the stars that Piper had painstakingly painted on the ceiling and coated in glow-in-the-dark paint.

"Good. We can get to work on unpacking your things and everything we bought today in the morning, but right now, I think it's time for a bath and then bed," Piper proposed. "We've all had a long day."

Piper made herself a cup of tea, going to check on Reid, who was reading Nathan a story. Nathan had fallen asleep, Reid setting the book aside and sitting there with him for a moment. He smiled at Piper, who took a picture of the two of them, again sending it to the team. "You two are adorable," she whispered as Reid slowly got up, trying not to wake Nathan.

"Goodnight, buddy," he whispered, tucking him in.

"'Night Dad," the boy mumbled, curling up under the covers.

Reid gave Piper a hug as soon as he got to the doorway. "It's weird hearing him call me that. Piper, we're parents."

"Yeah. He called me Mom in the car and I almost cried. I tell you, it's going to be a lot of getting used to." She followed him into their bedroom, Reid changing into pajamas and brushing his teeth as she talked. "We made it through the day. I'd say we're pretty decent parents."

"Well, it wasn't what I would call a normal day, but we're doing pretty well," Reid concluded, putting his glasses on.

"You should wear those more often. You look cute in them."

"You say I look cute in everything," he frowned. "Do we have any more toothpaste?"

"Under the sink. And I say it 'cuz it's true," she laughed, setting her mug on the sink. She wrapped her arms around his waist, setting her chin on his shoulder. "You are cute in everything. I love you, Spence."

"I love you too." He gave her a toothpaste-y kiss, Piper laughing. "You're going to be a great mom."

"You'll be an even better dad. I can tell you're his favorite parent already."

"You're the prettier one," he answered as they got into bed. "And you're the one that's going to make him a good person." Piper made sure to plug in their strand of Christmas lights before turning the regular lights off. "I'm the one who remembers all sorts of random facts, but you're the one who always remembers things like that - the one who remembers to plug in the lights before you hit the other ones, the one who remembers to buy aluminum foil, the one who remembers to cut sandwiches into heart shapes because it makes me smile in the middle of the day. You're already a great mom, because you've been taking care of me all this time."

"I'm nothing special, believe me," she laughed, taking her glasses off.

"No, no, you're everything special. You're my darling, my life, and my bride," he assured her as Piper curled up next to him.

"That would be nice, if it weren't from a poem about a dead girl. You know, you quote Poe at me, you almost wrote Ted Bundy into your vows… you're definitely the right one for me, Spence."

"You put up with me, with all of the times I think I'm going crazy and all of the times I drive you crazy, you're definitely the right one for me," he smiled, giving her a kiss.

"Mm," she nodded sleepily. "Here's to being parents. And to the start of the rest of our lives. Shit." Her phone had started ringing, Piper reaching out for it on the nightstand. "Morgan, we're off - oh. Okay. I see. Yeah, I'll tell Reid. You'll need me on this too. No, I can stay here and work it from here until the morning, then I'll get him over to Jessica and Jack. they were always friendly when he came to visit us. Don't worry. Shit… Okay. Goodnight, sir."

"What's going on?" Reid had put his glasses back on, sitting up in bed.

"There's a lot going on in the department, as you know. Seaver's officially out to Counterterrorism, JJ's stepping in for me, we've got internal things going on, now isn't the time to dredge up old problems, right? Well apparently Morgan's been working on the Doyle case. You know how he just seemed to vanish? Morgan's tracked down his son, and he thinks he's seen him around the place. They need you in the office, they need me video calling in, and Morgan tells me that Hotch is saying he has news for us, big news."

"I guess I'll see you later then, huh?" He stood, changing back into normal clothes as Piper went to make him coffee. A few minutes later, Reid crept into Nathan's room, kissing the boy's forehead. He grabbed a travel mug full of coffee, hugging Piper goodbye. "I'll call in the morning and tell Nathan hi, and I'll keep you updated. I love you."

"I love you too. Be careful, babe."

"I will," he promised. "Like always."

"Okay. Good luck. I'll hold down the fort here." Reid was just about to leave when he stopped at the door, Piper looking back at him. "What's up?"

"It's probably nothing, but make sure you lock the doors and the windows. And keep your gun next to you. Leave the lights on. I just have a weird feeling."

"That's you already adapting to having a family and worrying about them." She crossed the room in a few steps, giving him another tight hug. "We'll be okay. Now go take care of Doyle. Make sure he pays for what he did to Prentiss."


	26. Lauren Reynolds Lives

"Okay, take a deep breath," Piper said, trying to keep quiet, since Nathan was still asleep. She'd gone back to bed after Reid had left, but woke up early to check her email and see what was going on with the Doyle case. Reid had called around 7 Am, sounding frantic and saying something about Prentiss. "Where are you now?"

"Sitting in one of the bathrooms, down the hall from the bullpen. Piper, I swear I saw her. And I know we buried her. I'm starting to see things... it's starting. Piper, I'm going crazy. I knew this was going to happen. I -"

"Spence, listen to me. Take a deep breath and listen to my voice. You said you saw her over by the coffee maker, right? And that she was talking to JJ? Why don't you ask JJ about it? If you really did hallucinate seeing her, all you have to do is say something like 'I swear I heard her voice'. Leave it vague, and you won't be letting anyone else know. If it turns out it was a hallucination, we can go to the doctor as soon as you're home."

"I don't want to end up like -"

"Reid, there you are." Piper could hear Hotch's voice walking into the room. "Why are you sitting on the floor of the bathroom? Never mind, I just came to apologize. I should have told you Emily was coming back. Look, Piper told me about the migraines. I suspected them myself, but she told me and... I should have warned you beforehand, so you wouldn't think you were hallucinating. It can be a scary thing having something like this sprung upon you when you're already worried about... I'm just trying to say I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"Give Piper my regards."

"Hand the phone to him." Reid obeyed, Hotch saying hello as he picked up the phone. Piper cut him off, immediately shaming what he had done. "The apology is nice, but he shouldn't have to wind up sitting on the bathroom floor terrified that he's starting to see things, Hotch. You of all people should know that he lives in fear of having what happened to his mother happen to him. You know he's afraid of developing schizophrenia, and he'll question anything that doesn't sound right. For God's sake, Hotch, he'll ask me if I heard a car horn honking outside if he's not sure! He's constantly checking that he's not hallucinating, and he always asks if he's being too paranoid over things, and... How could you?'

"I'm sorry, Piper. I... I should have thought to-"

"Yes, you should have. You really should have. I'm sorry, Aaron Hotchner, but that was an asshole move right there. It might have slipped your mind at first, but you should have realized that this could have really messed with some of the people on your team. I'll call you to talk about this later, but... Aaron, you've got to think about other people when you're faking someone's death and then having them reappear out of thin air. Can you hand the phone back to my husband now? I've got to make sure he's not too shaken up over all of this." Hotch passed the phone back wordlessly.

She heard the door close, Hotch walking away. "You told him?"

"He asked how you were doing during our assessments," Piper admitted. "I'm sorry. But he knows they're not affecting your work or anything. I was just worried, and with Emily gone, it scared me even more... I'm just glad she's back. Still, you've got to find a good doctor soon, Spence. It's scaring me."

"It's scaring me too. But right now we need to focus on Doyle. His son is missing, and we've got to figure out who would have taken him. Garcia's sending you the files now, try to come up with a name. I'll be home when I can, but we have to get this wrapped up before anyone else gets killed."

"I… okay. I'll take a look at everything. I love you, Spence."

"Love you too." He hung up, going back to work as Piper read through the file that Garcia had sent over. It was full of information on Doyle and his network, but half of it she didn't need. What she really needed was information on Prentiss - things they had never heard before, things that were sealed in records or had been destroyed long ago.

She could hardly concentrate. Emily was alive. All of that time she'd spent grieving, when they'd all meet up at one of their houses and tell stories about the cases they'd been on, reminiscing over coffee… all of the nights she and Reid had stayed up feeling guilty… all of the times she had checked his arms for needle marks in his sleep, or pulled him closer to her so she could check, just in case he had started again… all of that had been for nothing. Well, not for nothing, but all of that needless suffering had led to this. She tried to be mad, but all she could feel was tired. Tired and worried and empty. Reid would be mad at them - JJ and Hotch and Prentiss - for what they had pulled off. He'd snap at them a few times and throw himself into his work. There was so much to resolve, so much to work through. And now they had Nathan. It was a lot to process. Taking a sip of her coffee, she tried her best to go back to work.

Piper spent the day on the phone and on the computer, calling the others with updates and giving them information. There wasn't a lot she could do, but she tried, making the study into a mobile command center. Since it was mostly hears anyway, she knew she would be turning it into a more permanent command center in the future, but for now, things were scattered everywhere. "Mom?"

Turning away from her computer and maps, she looked to see Nathan standing in the doorframe. "Good morning, sleepyhead. Dad had to go to work early, but he's going to try to be back soon."

"Can we make pancakes?"

"Of course!" She closed her laptop, grabbed her phone, and followed him into the kitchen. "Chocolate chip or blueberry?"

"Both?"  
"Both sounds good. We'll save some blueberry ones for Dad, okay?" She went to the fridge as Nathan started grabbing ingredients and mixing bowls from the cabinets. Piper's phone buzzed on the counter. She set down a box of eggs and a jug of milk, answering quickly. "Hey, Garcia, what's up?"

"They're tracking him down to a warehouse now. Everyone's on the way. Thought you should know," Garcia reported, typing away at her computer. "Reid told me to tell you."

"Thanks, Garcia."

"When do I get to see him?"

She sighed, leaning against the counter. "Hey Nate, want to go see where Dad and I work? I know you met everyone else a while ago, but Aunt Penelope wants to finally see you."

"Can we have pancakes forst?"

"Of course. We'll bring Aunt Penelope some too." Returning to her conversation with Garcia, Piper laughed, saying, "We'll be up in a little while. We're making pancakes for lunch, since somebody slept in and somebody else was up all night working."

Garcia hardly let go of Nathan, who loved running around her office and playing on her computers, helping her find information as the team called in. They returned a few hours later, when Garcia and Nathan went to the break room to microwave some pancakes for an afternoon snack. Even though they were exhausted, covered in sweat and dirt, and just taking off their bulletproof vests, everyone smiled, high-fiving and hugging him. Hotch and Reid followed the others in, deep in a conversation, but stopped abruptly when they heard a small voice from the middle of the crowd. "Dad!"

Reid turned around, beaming as Nathan ran up to him. He scooped the boy up in his arms, Hotch smiling too. "Hey, buddy, what's up? Why'd you and Mom come in?"

"Garcia wanted us to stop and say hi," Piper explained, coming over to kiss him on the cheek. "We've been hanging out with her. I figured you'd all be back soon. How'd it go?"

Reid shook his head, looking at Morgan. "I've got a bad feeling we're all going to be pulled in for questioning about this one. But Doyle's been taken care of." He didn't say much more, Piper putting everything together in her head.

"At least you're alright," she sighed, looking at the rest of the team, who had gathered around Morgan and Prentiss. "I'm sure there's going to be a big fallout, since half of this never went through official channels, but we'll get through it. We stopped an international terrorist and saved lives. They can't punish us too badly for that."

Reid nodded, handing Nathan back to Piper. "I'm going to check on them, and then I'll meet you all at home, okay? We've been invited for dinner at Rossi's, so don't take anything out."

It had been another long day like that one when Piper and Nathan arrived at the BAU, bringing dinner in because they had been on a mission that was taking all day. An ex-Navy Seal had been in a car accident, triggering a continuing PTSD episode and making him believe that everyone he had been close to had been replaced by impostors. He'd been all over the DC area, making it hard to track him down. Piper had picked up dinner for everyone, since they'd been working all day. Nathan was just talking to Garcia when they got the call - he was somewhere in the building.

Hotch looked at Piper and "Get the family, take them down to a safe holding room, and hide there with -"

"No. I'm staying here. I've been with this team for a while, and you need all the help you can get. Prentiss is on her way to get the family. I'll send Nate with -"

"If anything happens-"

"He needs a mother," Reid interrupted, both of them turning to him. "If anything happens, he needs one of us."

"Spence, don't talk like that." She put her hands on Nathan's shoulders, the boy looking up to his dad. "Nothing's going to happen."

"He's coming with me," Garcia decided, pulling the boy over to her and saying, "Let's go down to my office. C'mon."

"Are Mom and Dad going to be okay?"

"Yeah, they'll be down with us in a minute. They just need to talk. Want to help me lock down the building?" She took his hand, leading him away.

When they were out of earshot, Piper turned to Reid. "He needs a father. You all need me. This is a risk we have to take. It's a risk we signed up for, and a risk we accept every time we walk in the door."

"Not the time for this," Morgan reminded them. "Where is this guy?"

"Right behind you."

They turned, Reid instinctively reaching for Piper's hand as she took a half-step backwards towards him. Rossi, meanwhile, took a step forward. "You don't want to be waving that around. Snipers have the entire building covered," he said, everyone's eyes trained on the man's gun.

"I can tell you right now, you're in the crosshairs," Morgan added.

"The windows are bulletproof," the man scoffed. "Give me my wife and daughter, and I'll let you go. You have three minutes to decide, or you'll all blow up."

"We took them to protect them from you, after you killed your parents."

"Those were impostors," he spat back.

Reid stepped forward, Piper reluctantly letting him go. "Spence-"

"You want to know what's really going on?" Reid asked. "You were in a car accident and you suffered a head trauma."

"Spencer."

"Luke, you have to let those people go." His wife's voice came on over the P.A. system. "Please. We're okay."

"Daddy, please." His daughter's voice replaced his wife's as Piper pulled Reid back. "Please, Mommy says you're sick. We just need to go home. You can lie down. Please."

"I can give them to you," Piper promised. "But I need you to put your gun down. Please. Do it for Jenna, okay? Put your gun down and close your eyes. Good. Good. Okay, we're going to handcuff you because we want to be careful, and then we're going to bring her to you." Slowly, he put down the weapon, putting his hands behind his back and turning around. "Good. I'm going to handcuff you now. My friend Emily is going to bring your wife in."

As she handcuffed him, his wife entered the room, running up to hug him. All went well until his daughter cried out, instinctively making his eyes fly open. "No!" He was tackled, ripped away from his wife, and pulled out of the room, half of the team trying to make sure his gun was out of reach.

Piper turned to Reid, shaking her head. "See, we're fine. You do these stupid things sometimes too, Spence. You know you drop your gun, talk to unsubs while risking your life based on a hunch. You know you do it. We can't be doing things like that now that we've got Nate. It's not just us anymore."

"Mom, Aunt Penelope let me play with all of the alarms," Nathan called, running up behind her. Garcia trailed him as quickly as she could in heels.

"You all are insane," she lectured as soon as she got into the bullpen. "You can't put your weapon down like that, Reid. And you're a mother, Piper. What were you thinking? You both can't risk your necks like that now. And Derek Morgan-" She turned to lecture him, Piper turning back to Reid.

"We'll talk later. For now, I've got dinner waiting in the breakroom for everybody."


	27. Birthdays and Brilliance

Piper sat in bed, talking to Reid. He'd flown out to Philadelphia with the team, hunting down a killer who bludgeoned his victims to death, and then continued to savagely beat them. "You realize he's way above normal reading levels for his age. They're talking about letting him skip a grade."

"Aren't there special programs for kids like that now?" Reid was sitting in his hotel bed in his pajamas, case files spread around him as he talked. "Ones that keep them in their grade, but put them in classes with other smart kids?"

"I thought you'd want him to do it. I mean, you did, and you turned out great."

"Thanks, babe, but I really didn't. There's no reason a kid should graduate high school at twelve," Reid sighed, thinking back. "He needs to be with kids his own age so he doesn't turn out like a… so he learns how to socialize with people his own age."

"Spence, I know what you were about to say, and you're not a freak. You never were. You were just too smart for them, and they didn't understand it, so they were mean. You scared them."

"Don't try to make me feel better about it."

She sighed, realizing why he was being so terse. "Do you have another headache?"

"Yes," he admitted, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry, Pipes. But I'll be home soon. We're already looking at a Zodiac Killer imitator for when we get back, and they're calling for someone to fly to Chicago for a conference. Rumor has it we might need another set of eyes on this one."

"I want the Zodiac team," she said immediately. "There have already been two copycats. This could be a third."

"Hmm, they're probably going to be sending you to the conference. You know how to talk to people. You've got the people skills." He yawned, closing the file that he had been reading. "You've got to show me how to use that new file system on my laptop when I get home."

"That file system is at least five years old," she laughed. "But I will. You're a bit behind on the technology aspect of the job. If anything, I'll have Garcia bring you up to speed."

"Garcia would get so mad at me for asking all the questions I'll ask you. You know i'm useless with computers. It's a miracle I can figure out how to video-call you."

"Oh, and when you get home, you and I have got to do something for your birthday. I know you're going to fly right out on this next case, but your birthday is coming up, and we should celebrate. In like eight hours."

"I know. Let's just go out for dinner or something," he suggested. "I'm not feeling up for much of a celebration, and I'll probably have to fly out to San Francisco soon."

"What's wrong, Spence? Besides the headache. I can tell something's up." She reached for her cup of tea, careful not to knock over her laptop.

He frowned, Piper trying as she might to discern any micro-expressions on the grainy screen of the video call. "Do you ever wonder if you've done enough with your life? I'm going to be 30 in eight hours, and I can't help but think…"

"Spence, you've saved so many lives. You're brilliant, and you being brilliant has helped so many people. You've solves problems and caught killers that no one else could have. You've talked people down and mastered like a dozen languages, and you've done so much to change the world. You've saved my life, and you mean so much to me. You've made my life so much better, Spence. And Nate… you're helping to make him who he is. You're making him into a great kid. You've done so much, and you're doing so much now. You're using your skills to save lives, Spence." She sighed, looking at the expression on his face. "You're changing the world."

"Thanks."

"And dinner would be fine. I'll get us some reservations somewhere, and we can drop Nate off with Jack at Hotch's place. He'll understand. I should probably let you get some sleep, huh?"

"Goodnight, then," he smiled. "I wish I was there to kiss you goodnight."

"Yeah, me too," she told him, "but you'll be home tomorrow, right? You can make up for it then. Goodnight, Spence. I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you tomorrow." She closed her computer, putting it on the charger and heading back to bed. There was a soft knock on her door, Nathan walking in. "Hey, buddy, I thought you were asleep."

"Can I sleep over here with you? There's a big shadow outside."

"Those are just the Halloween decorations, remember? You know how Dad likes to decorate for Halloween. You two went costume shopping last week, right? Well, I'll tell you a secret - Dad had his Halloween costume picked out since last year. But sure, you can always stay with me." She let him climb up into Reid's usual spot. The boy was asleep in minutes, Piper taking a picture to send to her husband. She texted it to him before setting her phone next to their bed and falling asleep.

Piper woke up early in the morning to hear someone moving around in the kitchen downstairs. Slowly, so she wouldn't wake Nate up, she got out of bed, grabbing her gun from the drawer in the nightstand and putting her glasses on. Creeping down the stairs, she saw that a light was on and there was someone's shadow around the corner. Just as she was about to call out, Reid turned the corner with a cup of coffee. "God, Piper!"

"Spence," she laughed, lowering her gun. "You scared the shit out of me. I… I thought…" She set her gun down on the kitchen counter as he hugged her hello.

"We got back early. I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized, kissing the top of her head. "I figured I'd come upstairs in a bit, but I wanted some coffee first." He shed his jacket and took a spot next to her on the couch.

"Well I'm glad you're back. I haven't seen much of you lately. And there's something I wanted to tell you. I was gonna wait until tomorrow, but you're back now, so…"

He took a sip of his coffee, waiting. "Well, what's the news?"

"You know how I was planning on writing a book? Well, I got the grant," she smiled, Reid pulling her into a hug.

"Congratulations. I can tell already, it's going to be a bestseller."

"I'm going to start here, going through old files at the BAU and the FBI archives. But then I've got to do some flying… I'm working on getting interviews with certain people. I've already secured Manson and Bianchi," she confessed. "I've been working on it behind-the-scenes. But of course I'll have to do a bit of teaching here first."

"That's amazing."

"I pulled some strings to get them. I'll see what I can do about the others on my list, but they're a start. Jessica's already volunteered to babysit Nate whenever we're both out of town, and she even said she'd be willing to take Chester. I'll get to spend time almost in the field, and I get to cover a lot of the people we've worked with - well, a lot of the cases we've worked on," she told him excitedly, Reid smiling as her eyes lit up. "There's so much planning and stuff to do, but it's going to be a great experience. I'll be flying all over the country - ooh, maybe I can even get some international interviews from people locked up in Broadmoor and other places like it. This is going to be great."

"Yeah. We'll have to schedule some time when we're actually both in the city."

Her smile dropped, Piper taking his hand. "I'm sorry, Spence, I thought you wanted me to do this."

Reid squeezed her hand, shaking his head. "I do, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant we have to find time for family stuff, since we'll both be ridiculously busy, like we were before. Writing a book… you're going to have a good time, I know it. You love interviewing these people, seeing how their minds work, trying to figure out what makes murderers the way they are. You wrote your thesis on it."

"You read my thesis?" she laughed, stealing a sip of his coffee.

He smiled, handing the coffee cup over. "You read all of mine."

"I did." She leaned her head on his shoulder, Reid putting an arm around her. "I tried my best to understand them. I'm sure you made it through mine in like two minutes."

"Eight minute and thirty-six seconds," he corrected, making her smile. "I had to look up a couple of things, since I hadn't read all of the studies."

"I'm impressed with myself, then. Hey, what do you want to do about dinner? It is your birthday, after all."

"Can we sleep all day and get takeout?"

"And still drop Nate off with Jessica," she added, "and stay up watching old trashy horror movies. With ice cream."

"Sounds perfect," he smiled, giving her a kiss. "And we can probably start sampling some of that Halloween candy we've got."

"That almost makes it sound like half of the closet in the front hall isn't full of candy."

"What can I say, I love Halloween."

"More like you're obsessed with it."

"Nah, I'm obsessed with you."

"Sounds like something one of our unsubs would say," she joked. "We really should get some sleep, though. I can tell you've still got a headache, and I'm sure the coffee isn't helping. Oh, by the way, Nate's upstairs with us. Don't let him shove you to the edge of the bed this time. I swear you were about to fall off when we got up for work."

* * *

A.N.: I hope you all liked this! I figured I'd give you all a cute fluffy chapter because some stuff is about to go down. Gotta let the Reids be happy for a bit before things start changing...


	28. First Flight

A.N.: Thank you all so much for your support! I've gotten a lot of great feedback, and I just wanted to say thank you to all of my amazing readers and reviewers. Getting the 'new review' emails always makes me happy. You're the best.

* * *

It was still dark out when Piper woke up. She rolled over in bed and checked her phone, seeing that they still had an hour or so before the had to be up and getting ready. She'd had a dream about being held in the basement again, and had been up late with Reid, who had also had a bad dream, throwing him back into the world of being kidnapped by a serial killer. She had stayed up with him and talked until he fell asleep, glad that he was finally able to get some relief from the headache that had been plaguing him for hours. It had been a bad night for both of them. The dreams came less and less often now, but there were still nights when one would wake the other up in terror, and that would never change. At least they were home together. It was always worse when Reid was away, for the both of them. They would be woken up by phone calls then, talking to each other from across the country, but it wasn't the same.

Sitting up in bed, Piper looked over to where he was peacefully asleep. His hair stuck up all over the place, and he was laying on his stomach, mumbling something, reacting to whatever he was dreaming about. She smiled, glad that his head wasn't hurting him. He had good and bad days with his headaches too. "Mmh. Piper... think I should..."

"I agree, Spence," she smiled, shaking her head. There was no way she was going to be able to fall asleep again, she could tell. Heading downstairs, Piper went to make some coffee, turning on the news and lowering the volume on the TV. She took a spot on the couch, drinking coffee and listening to the rain outside. It was nice, being up when Nate wasn't running around the house and Reid wasn't running his mouth. He'd been talking about seeing some sort of new doctor, which she had been all for, but he'd dropped the subject as she carried in boxes of case files from the car, seeing that she was busy. She had asked him about it a little while later, but he'd shrugged it off, saying this new doctor was far away but would be able to give advice over the phone. He wasn't so sure about it, but it was his last hope, she thought. He'd seemed to try everything else, every scan and test he could find, and tried taking Piper's advice too, but to no avail. At least he was still trying to find a solution.

She heard footsteps on the stairs - they were too heavy to be Nate's, but it was too early for Reid to be up. "Hey," he said, speaking softly as not to scare her. Piper turned to see her husband pouring a cup of coffee in his pajamas, running a hand through his hair. He was still wearing glasses - he must have just gotten up, grabbing them as he got out of bed.

"Hey. You're up early. Your head bothering you?"

"No. I just had a dream." He sat down in an armchair next to her.

"The dream again?"

He shook his head. "No, it was just… I was just thinking about how I'm not going to see you a lot for a while, and I had a bad dream about it. I'll be in and out of the city, and you'll be in and out of the city… we'll have to plan date nights in advance," Reid laughed. "I can't believe we're doing this…"

"It'll be like when we were both on the team. But I guess it'll be like we're on different teams," she thought aloud.

"You've got Kemper first, right?"

Piper nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "And thus starts the flights to visit serial killers. I've got Kemper next week, then Manson, Ridgway, hopefully BTK, Berkowitz, Cullen, Wayne Williams… I still have to set a lot of them up, but," she smiled, making Reid smile along with her, "it's going to be fantastic. I've wanted to do this since I was like twelve. First the FBI, now writing a book and interviewing serial killers… plus I'm married to the sweetest, most brilliant, amazing man, and we have a wonderful son."

"Aww."

"Seriously, you're the best, Spence. You and your glasses and your messy hair and your coffee addiction," she smiled, getting up to kiss him. Reid pulled her onto his lap, tickling his wife and making her laugh. "Spence, stop. Seriously, I'm going to get coffee everywhere." She kept laughing, setting her coffee cup down to tickle him back. "I'm gonna miss that."

"You'll have to stop by more often, then," Reid laughed. "You're a profiler, I'm a profiler, I'm sure we can manage hunt each other down for dinner or something."

"Yeah."

"Hey, when do you have to be at the airport?"

She glanced at the clock on the TV. "In a couple of hours. Garcia's taking me down there after I drop a few things off at the Academy. You can come with, if you're not off on a plane somewhere yourself."

"You want me to drop Nate off at school?"

"I'll take him. That way I can say goodbye properly, since I'll be out of town for a few days at least," she resolved. "I'll take him to school and then head over to the Academy. I was going to grab coffee and surprise you, but you can just come with Garcia and I if you want."

"That sounds good. It's a bit of a drive to BWI. It is a nice airport, though."

Piper spent her morning running errands, dropping Nate off at school and reminding him that he was going to go home with Jack. Hotch had extended an open invitation, saying that he could always stay with them, and if the team was out on a case, he and Jack would both be able to stay with his sister-in-law Jessica. She'd even be willing to take Chester, since she didn't live far from the Reids and loved dogs. Piper ran over to Jessica's, dropping off some of Nate's things and chatting with her while she was on a break. She worked from home, and had just finished a business call when Piper got there, glad to have someone to talk to.

When she'd left Jessica's, she called Garcia, telling her that she would be there in a little bit. It only took a few minutes to drop off the files she needed to get to her director, and then a few more to head over to the BAU, where Garcia was finishing up some work. "Pretty Boy is coming with us," she reported from her computer, only turning to make sure that it was Piper when she had finished the line of code she had been working on.

"Yeah, he's getting coffee now, and we can be on our way." Piper filled her in on the plan. "We can head over and grab lunch, then make our way to the actual airport. It's not too hard to navigate to. You just have to drop me off in front of Departures. Hey there, long time, no see." Reid had walked in, handing her a cup of coffee.

"I figured you'd need some more caffeine."

"I'm always down for caffeine," Piper smiled, grabbing her purse from Garcia's desk. "Everyone ready? I've already got my suitcase in the car."

"Good luck out there." Hotch stopped her in the hallway as they made their way towards the elevators. "You're dealing with some of the worst of the worst. Remember everything you were taught - bring one pencil, don't tie your hair back-"

"Hotch, I've been interviewing people for years. I'll be fine," she assured him.

"I know. But it makes me feel better saying it. Sending one of my agents out into the world without the team always makes me worry a bit, but you're going to do great things, Piper," he told her, giving her a strong hug goodbye. "Now have a safe flight."

"Thanks, Hotch. Keep everyone under control here. I know that Spencer Reid can be a wild one."

"Hey-"

"I'm joking, Spence. C'mon, let's head out."

They got stuck in traffic on the Beltway, but had enough time to grab a quick lunch before Piper had to head into the airport and go through security. She hugged Garcia goodbye as best she could from the back seat of the car, turning to Reid, who had sat next to her on the way and telling him that, "Nate's going home with Jack, so don't forget to get him at Jessica's and not the normal bus stop. Chester's-"

"Relax, I've got it," he promised, hugging her goodbye. "We'll call you tonight, and I'll show you we're all fine. I know, it's the first time you've been the only one to go away, but we'll get by. Besides, we've got Garcia to check up on us. Have a good trip. You'll have to tell me all about it. I love you."

"I love you too." Piper kissed him goodbye, hopping out of the car and grabbing her suitcase from the trunk while Reid took over the passenger's seat. She turned to wave at them before the car drove off and she headed into the airport.

As she went through security and found her way to the gate she needed, Piper hummed contentedly to herself, thinking that Nate and Reid would be fine, even if they did just eat pizza, takeout, or mac and cheese for dinner every day. They would survive until she got home. Little did she know that that trip would mark the beginning of a change in their lives, a change that would impact all of them and turn things upside down for her family and for the BAU, and make her doubt all of the time she was spending out of town.


	29. I Miss You

Piper spent the next week in California, sitting with a police officer in an isolated cell and spending her time interviewing an imposing man, verbally sparring with one of the more famous serial killers she had studied. He was intimidating, and had threatened FBI agents before, but it wasn't nearly as terrifying as she had expected, even though he had abducted and killed ten people over his career, and continued to profess that he would be a danger in the outside world. She enjoyed the challenge of talking to serial killers, digging answers out of them and letting them tell their stories. Even if it had to be behind a pane of bulletproof glass, she looked forward to each interview, and came away with notebooks filled with scribbles that she had jotted down as they talked.

She flew back to DC the next Friday, arriving only a day after Reid got home from a case in Chicago, where the team had been tracking down Morgan's cousin. They had all thought she had died years before, or at least that's what it seemed like. She had been listed as missing for years, and they had all lost a lot of hope. He met her at the airport, kissing his wife hello. Nate was standing next to him, holding a sign that said "Welcome Home Mom" with "we're out of cereal" added under the message.

"Hey, buddy, how's life been with your dad?" She picked him up, kissing her husband hello and smiling at her son.

"Jack and I stayed with Aunt Jessica for a few days," he reported, "but Daddy let me go to work with him. Uncle Derek let me sit in the front seat of the police car."

"Nice," she laughed, Reid taking her suitcase as she carried Nate. "And how was Dad's business trip?"

"We found her. She's back with Morgan's aunt, and she and her son are doing better. They still have a long way to go, but they're getting there," Reid reported. "We've got leftovers at home if you're hungry, or we could go out for dinner."

"Daddy and I cooked dinner," Nate added. "We made pancakes, and spaghetti and chicken nuggets and…"

"Dad actually cooked? I'm impressed."

"I helped!"

"I can cook," Reid said defensively, putting the suitcase in the back of the car. "Not anything like you can, but I can cook. Should we make your mom dinner tonight, Nate? I bet she's tired."

"Yeah!"

It was only after Nate had gone to bed that Piper sat her husband down to talk. "So you know how I got into that facility in California? Well, I've been invited back to interview a few more people, if I want. And there's another correctional facility only a little while away housing some of the other people I want to talk to for the book. Or for future books, if I can get them. So I'm going to head back out there."

"It sounds like you're going to need a lot more time for all of them."

"Yeah, about that," she began, trying to think of how to tell him delicately. "The grant I got, well, the state is giving me a place to stay near the two prisons, if I want it. I'll be there for a few months. I can fly back every week or so, and I can take Nate with me when he gets out of school. I'm sure he'd like to see the country and spend time with the people running the prisons. He loved just riding in the police car with Morgan. I'll be home for most of the weekends, and I'll still -"

"Pipes, you've got to remember we're at least kind of settled down now."

"Spence, we are. But you're gone half of the time anyway, and I have work to do. I told you, I'll take Nate with me when he's out of school. We'll go sightseeing when I'm not in on an interview. It'll be summer vacation for him. He won't even realize I'm working," she proposed. "Look, they just suggested it to me as an option, told me to think about it."

"I know you. You've already made a decision," Reid sighed, trying to gauge her reaction. "When do you leave?"

"In three days. I'll be able to go to that convention with you and Garcia." She leaned her head on his shoulder, cozying up to her husband. "We can take Nate too. You've been working on a costume, right?"

"Mine's done. Nate and I have been making him one too. You're going to have to make one, though." He leaned his head on top of hers.

"I'll pull some work clothes out of my closet and be Amy Pond from Scotland Yard. I've already got the hair," she smiled. "I'll have everything together in time."

Reid sighed, thinking aloud. "I'm going to miss you, you know."

"You'll see me on the weekends and whenever you're out in Cali," she consoled him. "And it's only going to be for two months. I'll be home for the weekends and I'll see you when you're actually in DC. It won't be much worse than it already is. Besides, we'll call each other all the time."

"There's nothing I can do to stop you," he admitted with a shrug. "But I swear, Piper Reid, I'm spending every moment you're home with you. I'll even sit in the bathroom reading or something while you do your makeup and get ready for work."

"I'll follow you around everywhere," she promised. "Like a second shadow."

"We watched that episode when you were recuperating," Reid reminded her. "Having two shadows is never a good sign." Piper laughed.

"Hey, I'll also be in town for the wedding."

"Wedding?"

"JJ and Will, remember? They're getting married. They asked if Nate could be the ring bearer."

"I'm sure he'll love it."

Piper flew out a few days later, promising Nate and Reid that she would make it back for the weekend and the convention. She turned to wave to them as she jumped out of the car, running towards her gate. The apartment she moved int was in a decent area, one that she could easily commute from, making it much easier to get around and to get her work and writing done. When the two months had expired, she would be writing late at nights after long days at the Academy, but for now, she could focus on her book. The constant traveling between DC and California would be grueling, but it would be worth it being able to see Nate and Reid.

She got settled into a routine - interviews in the morning, more in the afternoons, sometimes having lunch with the prisoners she was talking to, then heading back to her apartment to consolidate her notes before dinner, settling in with a cup of tea when she had eaten to write and revise. Progress was slow, but steady. Whenever she left to go home, she would leave her notes in the apartment in California, so she could set up interviews and send emails when she was back in DC, but not much else. She could revise and edit, but not write, forcing her to spend time with her family instead of tempting her to keep working.

Reid tried to be home as often as he could when she was home, so they could be a family for a little while. He knew that she was doing this for a reason, and that she had always wanted to write a book, but it was hard coming home to an empty townhouse. He would usually pick Nate and Chester up on his way home from the airport, the three of them coming home and making dinner together, Chester circling in the kitchen to snap up anything that Nate dropped, which happened at least once a day. Reid would do his best to take pictures to send to Piper, just like she did when he was away. Sometimes they would be home at the same time, and they could be a family, but it was difficult.

He missed walking in to hear her blasting showtunes from her study, where she would be working on a presentation or grading papers. He missed her humming while she folded laundry and he washed dishes. He missed having her help make dinner - she was always the better cook. He missed waking up next to her, even in the middle of the night when one of them had a terrible dream. They had started calling each other whenever that happened, but the time difference made it difficult. He missed having her there, being able to tell her everything.

Whenever she came home, she was exhausted. She would eat dinner with them, start some laundry while Nate went to take a bath, put everything into the dryer when he was getting ready for bed, read him a story (sometimes with Reid), and drop into bed as soon as Nate had gone to sleep. Reid would follow her, and they would stay up and talk for a few minutes before she fell asleep. She would get up late the next morning, making breakfast and finishing the laundry before taking Nate to soccer practice or going to one of his games. She would visit the team sometimes, and JJ, prentiss, and Garcia would take her out some Saturday nights to catch up. She and Reid would go for dinner or meet up with the team at one of their homes on other days. They would try to get out of the DC area sometimes, but the weekend always went by quickly, Piper hopping on a red-eye flight Sunday night to get back to California and back to work in the morning.

Piper missed them terribly, but she was glad that she could at least spend some time with her family and friends. Nate was young enough that he didn't realize how much she was gone. Reid kept the house running a lot, or he would be staying with Jack and Jessica, having a lot of sleepovers while both of his parents were out of town. It was Reid who realized how often she was out of town, and how he missed a lot of time with her when she was in DC because he was out on cases. Even a few weeks in, it felt like he hardly ever saw his wife.

It was week three or four - no one would ever be sure - when he dropped her off at the airport one Sunday night after they dropped Nate at Jessica's, since he would be leaving the next morning for a case in Minnesota, and then went to a payphone. Piper had been right. He'd found someone who might be able to help with the headaches. But there was a small voice in the back of his mind, telling him to make the call. He missed the voice on the other end, the intelligent conversation that he was missing out on when Piper was out of town, which seemed to be more and more often. It felt wrong, somehow, calling to hear that voice and knowing that it was making up for his wife being gone. But still, he ignored the slight pang of guilt and dialed, patiently waiting as the phone rang.

* * *

A.N.: Told you I wasn't going to avoid it! This is going to be interesting... I'm ready to write some drama. (Also, I've done so much writing in the last few days, and I can't believe how I've done it). Thanks for all of the encouragement (that's how I've written so much lately).


	30. A Wedding

The incessant buzzing of her phone forced Piper to roll out of bed early on a Saturday morning. She had flown in the night before and went to bed as soon as Nate was asleep. "Hello?"

"Piper, we need you to get down here. There's a hostage situation at Colonial Liberty Bank downtown, and we need all local personnel we can get," Hotch reported, Piper sitting up in bed. "Reid's over at the BAU working with Kevin trying to get the schematics of the building. He says he dropped Nathan off with Jessica so you could have a quiet morning. Well, I'm sorry to ruin it, but we need as many people as possible, and you're in town."

"Uh, yeah, I'll be down there as soon as I can. Send me the address."

"You'll probably have to get off the Metro a few stops early. We've set up a perimeter. I'll let them know to let you in."

"Thanks. I'll see you soon." She hung up, yawning and getting out of bed. Reid had taped a note to the bathroom mirror.

 _Taking Nate to Jessica's so you can sleep. I got called in on a hostage situation. I'll try to be back for dinner. Love you. - S_

"It's the Face Cards, the bank robbers. Only this time they've got hostages. Will shot at one of them when they took out his partner," Garcia told her as Piper raced into the city. She had called to let her know where the rest of the team was setting up and to fill her in on what had happened already. "And they've got Will."

"Will? JJ's Will? Oh shit, it must be. She looks like a wreck. Listen, I'll talk to you later. I'm here."

"Be safe, butterfly," Garcia wished her before hanging up.

"JJ, I'm so sorry."

"They shot him, Piper." She gave her a hug, adding, "You need a vest. We're moving in on them."

"I'll grab one. We've got to get those people out of there."

"They released the hostages. They're working on something bigger," Rossi said, passing by on his way to find Hotch. "Kevin and Reid are trying to figure out what."

Piper nodded, grabbing a vest and joining the team that was already moving in on the bank. They were close to the doors when one of the local police officers turned to Morgan, asking if he heard a hissing noise. Morgan shrugged, moving forward.

"The gas mains!" Reid had jumped out of a car behind the last set of barricades, followed by Kevin, who was carrying a copy of the building schematics. "She was following the gas lines. We need to clear the street. They're rigging the building."

Rossi called to Hotch, who radioed the others, but they had only taken a few steps when the bank erupted into a cloud of flames and ash. Garcia ran out of the mobile command unit she had been in, Kevin running forward with Reid and a handful of officers. People were already sitting up, their ears ringing as they made their way toward the building to see if there were any survivors. "This is their getaway plan," Morgan ruled as he moved into the building, following JJ, who was already on her feet and shouting for her husband.

Piper sat up slowly, feeling something warm drip down her face. Blood. It was a superficial gash, but she'd be washing blood out of her hair for a while when she got home. She stood, slightly off balance for a moment. Catching her breath, she jogged over to where Rossi and Hotch were quickly conversing, deciding on their next move. "Oh my god, are you okay?" Garcia had run over from where she had been looking at the blueprints of the now-destroyed building. They were still spread out on the hood of a police car.

"I'll be fine," Piper resolved as Reid made his way through the crowd. "Really, I'll be fine. We've got to get to Will. As far as we know, there are two of them left, plus -"

"They've got a car," someone called. "They're on the move."

"I think you should at least sit down and let me take a look at that," Garcia suggested.

Piper shook her head, wiping some of the blood away. "You hate blood. And they need me. I have to get to work."

"Look, I know this is like, your first field assignment in weeks, but they don't need everyone on a chase right now, and it's you. Sit down." Piper indulged her, since she had no other option, following Garcia into the mobile command unit and taking a seat, letting the analyst patch her up as well as she could.

"They must have a safe house," Prentiss determined, the rest of the team heading into the command unit. Even Chief Strauss was there, looking to all of them for a solution. "Their man on the outside has one set up and waiting."

"The Queen is the only answer," JJ said. "They have Will, and she's literally calling the shots. Everything's still coming up empty on her, right?"

"She's known to Interpol, but we still don't have a name," Prentiss replied. "I'll call my contact there. Now that there's been an explosion, and a stolen government vehicle, he must know something." She headed outside, dialing as she walked.

"And I've got zilch." Garcia had hopped back on her computer.

Morgan got off the phone, reporting that, "Semtex and C-4. The lab confirmed it. This kind of bombing was last seen in Chad."

"That's our connection. But they've got to be planning something else."

"That's why they took Will," JJ said, her phone ringing. "Agent Jareau. I see. We'll be on the way." She hung up, telling the others, "They killed a paramedic. Will's alive."

"Take Morgan with you to check it out. Their next target has to be in the city," Rossi thought, the others nodding along. "It's been half an hour since the explosion, and they're still in the city. Their target must be here."

"Their fourth partner is in there," Piper determined, standing over Garcia and Kevin's shoulders. "Look. Look at how they look at that guy. Who is he?"

"Matthew Downs, ex-Marine, dishonorable discharge," Garcia shot back, typing as quickly as she could. "He was in there."

"Will must have talked to him," JJ said. "Oh my god. I've got to -" She ran out of the command unit, Rossi following her. He had clearly put everything together much more quickly than the rest of them.

Piper understood seconds later. "He knows about Henry. Downs does. My money would say they're headed to Will and JJ's. they're taking Henry as a hostage too, and there's nothing Will can do about it, because they have guns on both of them. Oh… I can only imagine what JJ's going through…" She put a hand to her mouth, Garcia coming over to hug her. She had seen Piper's face fall, especially as Reid and Morgan left the command unit without a word.

"I'm not a mom, but I know I'd go crazy if my husband and my child were being held hostage. And I know you're probably a bit ticked at him, but he's-"

"Working, I know." Piper looked out of the door, seeing Reid, Morgan, and Prentiss moving through the rubble of the bank. "He's putting things together in that funny brain of his and he's got to concentrate. But I'd like it if I could get one word out of him. One 'Are you okay?' or 'How are you doing?', just one. I come back and it's like he's changing."

"We're all stressed, and this is probably his way of dealing with it. He's throwing himself into his work so he doesn't have to think of how he would feel if it were you and Nate in trouble," Garcia reasoned as Prentiss returned to ask her to look up bombings in Chad in 2008.

"The biggest bombing there was in a train station," she reported back as Piper took a deep breath and went outside, leaning against the metal wall of their temporary command center.

Seconds later, Prentiss dashed out of the command unit and jumped into a car, Morgan and Hotch joining her. "Union Station," Hotch called from the passenger's seat. "They've got Will there."

"What do you want me-" They were already gone. She went back inside to find Garcia and Kevin working away, sending plans of Union Station to the others. Piper leaned back on one of the counters, watching them and reaching up to feel more blood dripping down the side of her face.

Reid walked in, noting that the others were working away. He quietly walked over to Piper, taking her hand and putting it by her side before peeling off her bandage. "You need stitches." He opened a few cabinets, digging a first aid kit out and setting it up on the countertop. "Here, try to keep the blood out of your eye." He didn't say much as he sewed her up, concentrating on the stitching. Piper bit her lip, trying to focus on his eyes and not the pain of the stitches. He finished up, tying the thread and cutting the rest off. "I never went to med school, but I had enough scrapes of my own to know how to do that." He put everything away, leaning against the counter next to her when he was done. "Sorry there aren't any painkillers."

"Thanks." She took his hand, watching Garcia and Kevin's monitors as they hacked into Union Station's network, seeing that Prentiss had just stopped an explosion that would have killed half of the team and a huge group of civilians. "Spence, I never see you any more."

"I know," he sighed. "But you're in town for the next few days, right?"

"Yeah. Well, today and tomorrow, anyway."

The next evening, they all met up at Rossi's. He had decided to have the team, plus a few others, over to throw an early wedding party for Will and JJ, who were absolutely delighted. Nate and Reid had put on suits, and Piper had grabbed a nice dress, heading over a little while after sunset. They'd made the rounds saying hello to people, splitting off when they were swept up in conversations. Nate had been the first to disappear, meeting up with Jack and Henry. Morgan had nabbed Reid as they passed, leaving Piper to mingle with everyone else.

As she was talking to Hotch and his girlfriend Beth, Piper took a sip of her drink, seeing Reid talking to the boys and teaching them magic tricks. She sighed, taking another drink. "Something wrong?"

"No," she shook her head, grabbing another drink from the nearby bar. Hotch nodded silently, Piper knowing that he didn't believe her.

They spent dinner smiling and drinking, Reid teaching Jack, Henry, and Nate magic tricks at the table. Everyone was watching and cheering during the first dance, and when the dance floor filled up with people, Reid grabbed Piper and whirled her around. "Reminds me of our wedding," she smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder as the song slowed down. _What is going on with you? Don't tell me your headaches are getting worse._

"Yeah."

She let go of his hand, sighing. "Look, I'm going to grab a drink with Prentiss. She's looked like something's wrong all night. Why don't you grab Garcia? She's trying to avoid Kevin at all costs." Piper left him with Garcia, heading to where Prentiss was standing by the fountain alone. "Hey. Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." Prentiss took a sip of her drink. "These are really good."

"When are you leaving?"

"How did you know?"

Piper smiled a bit, shrugging. "I am a profiler. You haven't been the old Prentiss since you came back. And I overheard you talking to your Interpol friend Easter. London office?"

Prentiss nodded solemnly. "London office. Now I'm going to turn your question around - I know when you're leaving. You've got a flight out late tonight. But what are you leaving?"

"What do you mean?"

She took a seat on the edge of the fountain, Piper sitting next to her. "Oh come on. You've had that same resigned longing look on your face all night. Even when you were sitting there laughing and talking over dinner, I could tell it wasn't in your eyes."

"Something's wrong with Spencer," Piper admitted. "He's more distant than he usually is. He doesn't talk as much, not as deeply as we used to talk before. I don't know if it's those headaches or what, but he's… something's definitely different. Even in the way he says 'I love you', it just feels different."

"He's probably guarding against having you leave again. You just show up, appearing in and out of his life every weekend, he doesn't want you to go away again," Prentiss told her, the wine making her wiser. "He hates having that ripped away from him every time you leave. At least when it was only one of you leaving he had some sort of control of schedules. Now it's whenever you two happen to see each other - that can't be too good. He knows you've got to do this, but he misses you, and it changes the way he interacts with you. I'm sure it'll go back to normal when you're home for good."

"But we've still got months before that could even be a possibility," Piper confided. "You don't think he… if I'm not home, you don't think he'd find someone else to talk to, to confide in, to… he wouldn't-"

"He loves you," Prentiss assured her. "This is temporary. You two will be fine."

She looked back to where Reid was laughing with Garcia, still spinning around the dance floor. "I sure hope so."


	31. Something's Off

"Hey, go outside," Reid said, holding his phone to his ear.

"Why?" Piper stopped typing, closing her laptop out of habit and looking out the window of her apartment. "Spence, you didn't tell me you were flying out here," she laughed. "I'll be down in a sec." She jogged down the stairs, giving him a hug as she locked the door. "It's good to see you."

"We're going to be in town for a few days. There are two unsubs dragging people behind cars," he filled her in as they walked. "And you've got to meet Agent Blake. She's taking Prentiss' spot on the team."

"I've been to some of her lectures. Not the biggest fan, but she's decent. She took the fall for a bad operation years ago, and she hasn't been the same since."

They spent their evening going out for dinner and walking the city, meeting up with the others for coffee. Alex Blake had always struck Piper as a bit brusque and a bit too serious, but she was perfectly pleasant when they met again. She shrugged it off as a result of Strauss shifting the blame of the failed operation to her. The team was glad for the distraction and kept asking questions about how the interviews were going and how the book was coming along. Rossi gave her some advice from his book-writing days, and Hotch filled her in on the case. Reid took a sip of his coffee every so often, nodding along with the conversation. He didn't say much, since he'd heard all about the book already. Frankly, he was getting tired of hearing the same book spiel she gave everyone.

"Hey." Piper grabbed his hand under the table. "You okay?"

"Headache," he mumbled, closing his eyes for a second.

She nodded, squeezing his hand. "Want to go back to the hotel? Or the apartment?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I think we're going to turn in for the night," Piper announced to the others, standing with Reid. They said goodnight to everyone else, Reid promising he would see them in the morning at the police station before following his wife out of the shop and towards her apartment. "This is the first time you've seen where they're putting me up, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"You need some sleep," she concluded as they walked in, Piper dropping her bag on the kitchen table. "I'll be up in a little while. I need to finish consolidating the notes i have."

Reid went upstairs, dropping into bed. He only woke when Piper joined him around midnight. "You weren't having a headache, were you? You're doing better. This doctor is helping you," she concluded, seeing that his eyes were open.

"I'm just tired," he told her bluntly. "And I'm tired of seeing you once a week."

"Me too," she assured him, "but I'll be home soon. I've got three more weeks here, and then I'll be flying out less often. I'm moving on from Cali killers to the midwest, then to the east coast, so I won't have to travel as much. We can take Nate on road trips and stuff, see the east coast while I stop off at different prisons. Some of them aren't far at all. New York's just a day's drive."

Reid nodded, telling her flatly, "That'll be nice." He rolled over in bed, turning away from her. "I'm going to try to go back to sleep, okay?"

"Get some rest," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek before she laid down. _Something's up. Something's wrong, and it's not the headaches. It's got to be the stress of not having you there. It has to be. But there's still so much work to do, and so many places to go. You should take a week off. Work at home, consolidate everything, spend time with him and Nate. Yeah, that's what you should do, the week you get back._

Piper flew in on a Sunday evening, bringing the last of her things home with her. It had been a successful trip to California, but she was grateful that she was home. Reid had been out on a case, promising her that he would try to make it home soon. Nate was with Jessica, so she would be picking him up on the way back. Dialing Reid, she got into her car after she threw the last suitcase in the back. She fought through the airport traffic as the line rang, cursing the fact that he didn't pick up.

Meanwhile, Reid was standing at a payphone, having a hushed conversation. His cell phone kept buzzing in his bag. Seeing that it was Piper, he apologized to the woman on the other line. "I have to go. It's - I'm sorry, I have to go." He hung up, answering his cell and trying to smile. "Hey, Pipes. Sorry about that, I was on another call."

"Hey, Spence. I just thought I'd let you know I'm on my way to get Nate. I'm going to be in town for the week, and I figured we could take a couple of days and do stuff as a family."

"Uh, yeah, sounds great. Look, I've got to get back to the others, but I'll see you at home.:

"Okay. Love you, Spence."

"Love you too."

There was something bothering her, the same thing that had been bothering her for a while. "Spence, is something wrong? There's been something off for a while, and I thought it was about me being gone, but something just doesn't feel right. We haven't talked - really talked, about something other than a case or who's cooking dinner or dropping Nate off for soccer - in ages. I thought it was me being gone, or the headaches, but this new doctor you found seems to be doing wonders, so it has to be something else."

"Just stress from work. Plus you're like never around, so you have to factor that in. Goodnight, Piper."

That didn't make her feel any better, but she said no more, closing her eyes and trying to go to sleep. She wouldn't sleep much that night, and for the few days they were off together, nothing felt right. Surely it would come back with time. So she smiled and pretended like everything was normal, putting on a happy mom face for Nate, wondering how many times her grandmother would do that for her when she was a kid. They needed a regular routine, she decided. Something that resembled normal. Hopefully she could arrange her flights and work schedule that way. If it wasn't that, she worried that it was a problem with her. Maybe spending all that time talking to psychopaths had done something to her own mind. No, it had to be the routine.

Piper stopped by the BAU offices after picking up some things from her office at the Academy, saying a cheery hello to Garcia, who followed her to see the others. Reid was in Hotch's office, going over a case that he had been writing up, but she would see him later, so she said a few words to the others before taking off for Strauss' office. "We should tell her," Blake said as soon as she was out of earshot. "We have proof that something's up. She needs to know. She deserves to know. Even if they just got married in a whirlwind kind of thing, she would deserve to know."

"Well they did get together kind of quickly," Garcia thought back. "They met and were together in what, like a month?"

"It happens," JJ shrugged. "I mean, Will and I met on a case and started talking while he was in New Orleans and I was in DC. We were practically together in a month."

"It's just an odd thing for someone like Reid," Morgan sighed. "But that means he must really like her. Have liked her? I hate to say it in the past tense, but… well, who knows with him? I just really don't want to hurt her like that. Piper's such a great person… she deserves to know. But then again, he hasn't actually done anything with this girl…"

"Sure they've just been talking, but he has feelings for her. I think you should talk to him about it," Garcia said, looking up to be sure the person who walked past wasn't Reid. "You two are like brothers. He'll at least listen to what you have to say. I… I can't believe this. I know Piper's been flying in and out of town and taking road trips a lot, but that doesn't mean he should… they talk every day, at least a little, just like when she was teaching full-time and he was out with you all on cases. And yet he's still… honey, you've got to talk to him."

"Of course I will, babygirl, but I don't know if he'll listen to me," Morgan told her, sitting down on the edge of a desk. "And you're right about them talking. I've walked in on some of their conversations while we've been in hotels before. A few months ago, they'd be going back and forth in some sort of technical discussion I could barely understand, but now it's a lot of 'here's what I did today' and 'here's the basics on the case'. I hate to say it, but all of this traveling and ten minutes on the phone a day because they're exhausted and still have work to do... it's driving them apart."

"No, it can't!" Garcia erupted. "They're perfect for each other, and we cannot let that happen, Derek Morgan! I refuse to let it happen!"

"You refuse to let what happen?" Reid asked, walking up with a cup of coffee. "What are we all whispering about?" He looked around the group, waiting for an answer.

Blake spoke first. "She was saying that she saw something the other day, about a DEA agent getting injured, and how it made her worry about us. I think she was shot in an ambush, and Garcia says she refuses to let that happen to us."

"Hmm, I don't remember reading that in the memo."

"Maybe if you actually checked the email Piper set up for you, you would have seen it," JJ joked. "How is she, anyway?"

"Working away on that book," he shrugged. "She's home, for now, but I think she's heading to Illinois or Minnesota next week. I think it could be Wisconsin. I know she wants to talk to people who worked on the Dahmer case."

"It's got to be hard on you and Nate," JJ said, getting up to grab a ringing phone.

Reid nodded, looking into his cup of coffee. "We get by." Garcia and Morgan exchanged a knowing look. _I'll talk to him later, in private._


	32. Thomas Merton

On the list of coping mechanisms, flying out of town to interview serial killers isn't the best. Piper knew it, but she still hopped on a jet or got into the car and drove, heading to different prisons in the midwest. When she was done there, she moved on to the east coast. It was five hours into her drive down to Florida State Prison when she realized that the next day was Halloween. She and Reid had been decorating, but she'd forgotten all about it. "Hey, Spence, it's me," she left a message on his phone. There was only a 50% chance that he would check it, but she had to try. "I just realized tomorrow's Halloween. I'm sorry I can't spend it with you and Nate… I know how you love it. I hope you two can go trick-or-treating with Hotch and JJ and the kids. Have fun, okay? I'll call you when I get in. Love you."

As she drove, she tried to think of how she would be talking to people who lived and worked with Ted Bundy, Aileen Wuornos, and the Gainesville Ripper… instead of thinking about how she was missing parts of her son's life and how distant Reid seemed. She would be home in a week, but she had to remember to plan for… _Thanksgiving. JJ said she might host, but you should be ready anyway. And you have to start buying Christmas presents. Nate's going to need a new winter coat, too. He's already outgrown last year's. Spencer probably needs a new one too. He hasn't gotten any new coats in a while. Make sure you don't schedule interviews for the week of Thanksgiving or Christmas. You can get real writing done then. Edit a chapter… wait, Morgan's making Spence play baseball again… got to be back in town for that one. The first game was great._

They were flying out late at night, half of the team asleep before they had fully taken off. Reid was in the back of the jet, trying to nap, when Morgan came up to him, taking the seat opposite. "We haven't had a chance to talk in a while."

"What's up?" Reid asked, opening his eyes.

Morgan took a deep breath, saying, "Listen, man, there's something i've got to ask you, as a friend. This doctor you've been talking to, you've seen her, haven't you?" Reid nodded. "Well, I've seen the way you look when you talk about her. You're falling for her, man."

"No I'm not, I'm married."

Shaking his head, Morgan attacked his reasoning. "Those aren't exclusive things. Look, I know Piper's been out of town. I know you haven't been talking like you used to. But if this doctor is coming between you two… I know how she makes… how she made you feel when you first met. You followed her around the office and looked at her so many times when you thought none of us were noticing. You were so in love, Pretty Boy. Now I'm not going to tell you-"

"Nothing's wrong between us," he shot back.

"Like I said, I'm not going to assume anything, but I just… you should think about this, man. Think about what you're doing, think about what you're getting yourself into." He stood, adding, "Think about your wife, about all those days you spent together and how inseparable you were. She still loves you like that. The real question is… do you still love her like that?" Morgan headed off, back towards where the others were dozing.

Piper called every night, video chatting with Nate while he got ready for trick-or-treating and telling him to send pictures of all of the candy he got. Jessica had him and Jack, and she was meeting up with Will and Henry, so they would be going out in a big group. Over the next few days, she spent her evenings writing and calling home, even talking to Will and agreeing that he would be willing to take Nate when they were out of town if she could watch Henry sometimes. They didn't see each other too often, but Will was always nice to her, one of those people who she could fall into an easy conversation with and catch up over drinks with. She was glad that she had someone like him back in DC.

On the drive home from Florida, Piper's head was humming with the words of prison guards and inmates, the neighbors of some of the worst people in Florida prison history. She was heading home a day early, since her last interview had ended with time to spare. Besides, she wanted to be home for Nate as much as she could. Reid was at the office when she got back, so she and Nate made leftovers for dinner, eating on the sofa in their pajamas. When she had put him to bed, Piper went back downstairs to throw some laundry in the washing machine and get a little bit of work done. That was when she noticed the book

There was a worn copy of _The Narrative of John Smith_ sitting on the kitchen table, along with the day's mail. Piper was sure they didn't own the book. Reid must have picked it up somewhere. Flipping it open, she noticed a woman's handwriting in the front cover. "Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone; we find it with another. - Thomas Merton."

Piper pursed her lips, thinking at first that it was a present from Reid's mother. But no, the quote didn't fit. And the book was written by Arthur Conan Doyle - a bit late for Reid's mother, who specialized in 15th century literature. And the handwriting didn't look like hers. "No," Piper mouthed, sitting down with the book at the kitchen table. It all made sense. The distancing, the disappearing on Sunday nights, the secrecy. Even how he had snapped at her a few times. It all made sense now.

She twisted her wedding ring on her finger, looking over to the mantle in the living room. They had put up a bunch of pictures there - some from when they had been dating, some of the team, some of Nate and his soccer team, one of when they adopted him, and finally, a picture from their wedding day. Piper stood, going to look at is as a fire crackled below her. She took the frame down, holding it carefully. In the picture, she was in her wedding dress, sitting on Reid's lap and laughing. Her arms were thrown around his neck, and they were completely ignoring the photographer, wrapped up in whatever joke was making them laugh so hard. She sighed, thinking of how happy they were, how in love they had been. Putting the picture back, she went to sit on the sofa, staring into the fire.

 _He's your husband. He's the father of your child. And he's… no, you don't know for sure. Remember walking into the BAU room and seeing him for the first time? How you'd smiled and decided then and there that you wanted to get to know the genius that sat beside you? Remember that time you two walked the Mall, the first time you held hands out in broad daylight? You were so giddy, so glad they could finally be seen together. Remember your first date? How you'd changed like six times and then decided that he wouldn't care what you wore, as long as he could be with you?_

 _Or that time when you were in a hotel on a case, the first time you'd kissed him. How sweet it had been, both with wine and with the excitement of the situation. A hostage situation going on stories below, and they had been sitting in the half-darkness afforded to them by one light, looking over the city. She'd leaned over and kissed him, not thinking of stopping. He'd put his arms around her, saying that it was okay, that he felt the same way, that he was just trying to figure out how to tell her. He'd kissed her again, and it had been so sweet. She had wished they didn't have to be back downstairs in a few hours, that they could just stay there together for the rest of forever._

The door unlocked, Reid coming in and dropping his bag on the kitchen counter before coming to say hello. "You're home early." He gave her a kiss, heading back to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. "Piper?" She was silent as he came over to sit by her. "You're just sitting there staring at the fire… Pipes, you look like you've been crying."

"Do I?" She turned to him, trying to keep her voice level.

"What's wrong? What did they say to you?"

Piper shook her head. 'It's not about the prison. I had a great trip. But then I got back and found what you left on the kitchen table. I thought it was from your mom at Doyle's a bit late for her, and the quote wasn't a mom thing. You know, Doyle wrote my favorite detective stories. It's funny how things end up like that - how one thing can bring up all sorts of different memories."

"Piper -"

"Spence, I need you to tell me the truth. It's that simple."

"Piper, I swear -"

She swallowed, trying to keep her composure. "What's her name?"

Reid was quiet for a moment, but finally sighed, knowing there was no way he could lie to her. "Maeve."

Piper nodded. "How long has it been?"

"Months," he admitted, setting his coffee cup down on the table. "She started helping me with my headaches, and then -"

"I don't want to know. Whatever happened between the two of you, whatever's happening now, I don't want to know."

"She's in trouble. She's being stalked, and he's coming for her. I have to help. Someone will die if i don't."

Piper nodded again, thinking as she wiped at her eyes. "Shit…" She turned to look at him, resolving, "I'll help. I don't want any more needless deaths… I'll help, because I have to. I signed up to save lives when I joined the bureau, even if it's hers. But… what do you want to do?"

"I love you. And I'm so sorry. I… I did a terrible thing, and I want to try again, if you do. You… she was there to listen, when you came home exhausted and flew out a day later. I invested too much in her, and… Piper, I'm sorry. I really do want to try again, but she needs our help." He reached out to her, Piper moving over in her spot.

"Not now, Spence." She stood, picking up her coffee mug. "I really don't want a hug or anything right now. You have to realize how awful I feel, questioning if I could have done anything different to stop this, if me being here more would have… what I'll feel when I meet her, I just… I don't know. I need time before anything. I appreciate you wanting to try. But I need time to process everything. I think I'm going to go upstairs with Nate. The bed's yours, if you want it."

"Okay. I'm sorry."

She dumped the rest of her drink into the sink, put her coffee cup in the dishwasher, and went upstairs, just saying, "goodnight" as she walked by Reid, who was still sitting in the living room, staring into the fire.

Nate rolled over in bed as he heard his door creak open, seeing his mom walk in in the light from the hallway. "Hey, buddy. Sorry if I woke you up."

"What's wrong, Mom? Is Daddy home?"

She sat down on the bed next to him. "Yeah, Dad's home. But he's going to sleep. He's… he's pretty tired. He had a long day at work. You can say hi to him in the morning."

"What's wrong? You sound sad." He sat up to give her a hug.

Piper hugged him back, kissing the top of her son's head. "It'll be okay. But… you know how I let you sleep in our bed sometimes, when you're scared or when you've had a bad day? Do you mind if I stay here with you tonight?"

"Sure, Mom." He moved over, handing her a pillow. "Do you want to hug Mr. Pig?" Aptly named, Mr. Pig was a plush pig that had been one of this first toys they had bought Nate when he was adopted. It had stuck with him for over a year of starting school and soccer practice and all sorts of other things. Mr. Pig had come along on road trips and flights across the country. He'd been dragged through mud and sat with Nate when he had been sick and had been washed and repaired more times than Piper could count. But he had always been there.

"Thanks." She hugged the stuffed animal, passing it back to him. She could hear Reid getting ready for bed, coming up the stairs and heading into their room.

Nate was asleep in minutes, but Piper stayed awake for hours, running things over in her mind. _Months. He's been cheating - at least emotionally cheating - for months. If you had been home more… if you had come to visit more… if you'd only… Shit, don't cry. Don't wake up Nate. He can't know. He idolizes Spencer. He can't know. What are you going to do? Have him sleep in the study. You can't just leave him here alone, what if he calls her again because you're gone? You shouldn't be thinking like that. Call Garcia and JJ in the morning. They'll have something to say, even if they don't know what to tell you._

She lay on her back, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars that she had painted on the ceiling for Nate. Memories flashed through her head, memories that she would have given anything to go back to. Their first date, when they'd been called away on a case. The first time they stayed up late talking in a hotel. The first time they'd shared a bed, again in a hotel on a case. Their honeymoon, when Reid's migraines had been killing him but they had fun exploring Greece. Between her being incredibly prone to sunburning and him having a constant headache, they had lingered in the museums for a while and only braved the beach a handful of times. The moment she realized she loved him, the moment he had told her he loved her. She sniffled, trying to not wake Nate up and trying to hold in her tears. _What the hell had happened?_


	33. Maeve

Reid had left for work by the time Piper woke up. She left Nate to sleep a little while longer, jumping in the shower and heating up the coffee that had been left in the pot when she was done. She had just settled in at the dining room table with her coffee when there was a knock on the door. Morgan stood there, waiting on the doorstep. He hugged her as soon as she opened the door. "I'm sorry. I should have -"

"No, it's okay… it's not you that I'm mad at. I know," she took a deep breath, continuing, "I know how it is, not wanting to tell your friend bad news, even when they need to hear it. Come on in." He followed her into the apartment, Piper pouring him a cup of coffee. "It's kind of early to be making social calls."

"It's not really social," Morgan said, treading lightly. "You're really not going to like this, but we're down one brilliant mind. We need you."

"What do you mean?"

"Reid can't focus because… she's been kidnapped."

"Maeve?" Piper took a sip of her coffee, shifting in her chair. She put it together instantly. "And you all need my help because he can't focus, and since it's a state-lines thing, the FBI is involved. You need my help to find the woman who I… who I got cheated on with."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Uncle Derek!" Nate bounded down the stairs in his pajamas, carrying Mr. Pig with him. Morgan stood, bear-hugging his godson.

"How ya doing? I haven't seen you in a while."

"Why doesn't Uncle Derek help you make breakfast while I go upstairs and get ready? Dad and I have to go into work. I know we were planning on spending the day in the city, but this is important. We...we'll make it up another time, okay?" He was already busy making breakfast with Morgan, Piper shaking her head and running upstairs to take a quick shower.

They dropped Nate off with Jessica, heading to the BAU just in time to run into Garcia and JJ. They pulled Piper over with them immediately, telling Morgan that the others were about to head out into the field. "You're staying with us," Garcia told her, pulling her into the office they were working in. "JJ's heading out in the field with them, so I need someone here. Kevin's busy on a kidnapping case for another team."

"Sure," Piper nodded, Garcia hugging her as soon as they were alone. "What's really going on?"

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. He's been awful," Garcia said, pulling up a chair and shoving a coffee mug in her hand. "We're going to sort this out, and then we're going to have the girls' night of all girls' nights. You, JJ, and I are going to prove that we don't need men."

Piper chuckled a bit. "JJ's the only one who isn't staring daggers at a man right now, isn't she?"

"Yeah. Kevin and that new girlfriend of his… ugh." Garcia shook her head, turning to her computer. "Let's see what we can get on our unsub. So far we know she's a woman, but we're trying to narrow down exactly who. Maeve's ex-fiance's new girlfriend - that's a confusing one - isn't who she claims to be."

"She had a fiance?"

"They broke it off when she started to get stalked."

"Hmm." Piper took a deep breath, Garcia opening a file cabinet, turning away from her for a second. When she turned back, she handed her a shot glass.

"Not the best coping mechanism, but you need something in your system other than coffee. Down it and let's go." Piper shrugged, downing the contents of the glass, chasing it with a gulp of coffee, and turning to Garcia.

Piper cracked her knuckles, resolving, "Let's go."

Reid was standing at the round table, insisting that Maeve was being stalked because she was as tar in her field. He had just started in on how not all celebrity stalkers are non-violent when Piper walked in, shutting him up. "I… we found out that this woman is using a fake identity. Our unsub has been planning this for months." She could hardly look at Reid, but continued talking, knowing that he was watching her every micro-expression. "I'm going to stay and help Garcia. I… I know I'm not going to be able to bear going out in the field on this one. I'm sorry, but I can't… I don't want to see her. There are some things I'd just rather not know."

Before the others could say anything, she turned and left, heading back to where Garcia was working. Rossi shook his head, but Hotch was the first to speak. "I know you're attached to this Maeve woman, but… Piper is the best you're ever going to find. After this case, I think you two need to take some time to sort things out."

While the others went to track down their unsub, Piper stayed with Garcia, triangulating a location to send them to. They'd hacked into the security cameras they found at "Diane's" apartment, sending the others towards where Maeve was being held. Having done all they could, they sat back in their chairs, waiting. Piper's phone rang a little while after they had ordered takeout for dinner. "Hello?"

"Hi, Piper? Mrs. Reid?"

She didn't recognize the voice of the woman on the other end of the call, but it could have been anyone from the office. Or Nate's school, or a hundred other places. "Dr. Reid, but yes. Who is this?"

"My name is Maeve Donovan." Piper looked to Garcia, quietly putting the call on speaker. "She's giving me one phone call. I thought… I need to apologize. He never mentioned you. I never knew… if I had known, I never would have…" She sounded scared, like she had a gun to her head. Piper recognized the tone from plenty of "last phone calls" that she had heard or been on one side of.

Piper swallowed, Garcia holding her hand as she said, "It's okay. I'm sorry too. I should have-"

"Don't blame yourself," Maeve told her. "Please, don't blame yourself for this. You're a brilliant woman, and you two deserve to be in each other's company. He… he couldn't talk to you while you were away, so he found someone else. There's a lot he doesn't know about me either. Now I have to go, but I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry."

"I don't blame you," Piper got out before Maeve hung up. She turned to Garcia, not knowing what to say. "It's rare that that happens," she shrugged.

"She said 'one phone call', right?" Garcia asked.

"Yeah. She thinks she's going to die. And she used her only phone call to apologize to me."

"And not to call Reid."

"I don't think she's very happy with him now either," Piper concluded, leaning back in her chair. "She didn't know who I was until today. She's a good woman. I don't think she would have condoned it if she knew…"

"She wouldn't have," Garcia assured her as her phone began to ring. "Hello. Piper's still here. Do you want me to put you on speaker? Oh. Oh, okay. I see. I… I'll let her know. Yeah, I… I'm sorry. Tell him I'm sorry." Her face had fallen, but she realized something, getting a bit incensed. "I'm sorry for him, but he still needs to get his act together." She hung up, turning to Piper. "Maeve's dead."

"She called like ten minutes ago."

"The unsub shot herself and shot her. It was a murder-suicide," Garcia told her quietly.

"Reid's going to be upset for a while. Upset that she's dead, upset at himself, upset that he can't change what he did or how mad you are… He's going to be messed up for a while."

"I'm still going to be mad at him, you know."

"Which is totally justified," Garcia said quickly. "You're totally right to be mad at him. But you also have to realize he lost two people he loved. There was her, and he's… he knows, no matter what, you're always going to know that he cheated on you. He's lost part of you too, in a sense."

"I can't believe this," Piper sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I'm going to have to go home and face…"

"No you won't. You're coming to stay with me for a little while. Nate too, if he wants. Or he can stay with Jessica, like he does when you're all on a case," Garcia resolved. "There's no way you're going right home to deal with him. You both have too much to deal with on your own right now, let alone each other."

Nate ended up staying with Jessica for a few days, Piper going home to pack him a suitcase and pack some of her things. SHe stopped by Jessica's to drop Nate's things off before driving to Garcia's house and setting up in a spare bedroom. She'd texted Reid, but he wasn't answering his phone. She highly doubted that he would feel like talking, so she left a note on the dining room table.

 _Spencer, I'm going to stay with Garcia for a little while. You're going to need time to process things, and me being mad at you and in the same apartment isn't going to be good for either one of us. I understand you need time to mourn, but I also need time to mourn the happy marriage I thought I had. When you're ready, and if you want to try again, I'll come home. But for now, I know I can't sleep in the same bed and I can't sit there comforting you, mourning the death of the woman who was slowly replacing me. It sounds harsh, I know. I'm sorry. But I have to do this. - Piper_

Sitting in Garcia's living room, Piper was drinking a glass of wine when the doorbell rang. Garcia jumped up, letting JJ in. "Hey. How's she doing?" They had a hushed conversation in the front hall, JJ coming to sit next to Piper with her own glass of wine. "How's it going?"

Piper sighed, shaking her head. "Garcia's got me in my pajamas drinking wine. I'm doing as well as expected, I guess. I can't help but thinking of Spencer sitting alone at home…"

"You know, you only call him 'Spencer' when it's serious," JJ observed. "Have you thought about what you're going to do?"

"I'm going to keep drinking for tonight," Piper laughed, taking another sip of her wine as Garcia came back with snacks. "I… I really don't know what to do. Penelope's letting me crash here for a bit… I think I'm going to give us both time. He can mourn and think about what he's done, and I can have some time to think. We both want to try to… I hate to say it like this, but to salvage what we had."

JJ put a hand on her shoulder. "You're going to be okay. Whatever you decide to do, we're both going to be here for you. And for Nate. If you need him to stay with us for few days, Will and I would be more than happy to have him. And I'm sure Henry would love to have his cousin over. He doesn't know anything about it, does he?"

"No," Piper shook her head, explaining, "he knows we're busy and that something big is going on, but he doesn't know about Spencer… he knows we go out of town a lot, so he stays with Jessica. That's what he thinks is happening now."

"That's good, I guess."

"Whatever you need, we're here for you," Garcia assured her. "And right now, you look like you need another glass of wine and more Belgian chocolate."


	34. Everything Will Work Out

A.N.: A bit of NSFW-ness, nothing major, but still, a warning.

* * *

Piper ended up staying with Garcia for a few weeks, sleeping on her sofa and spending her time writing in the cafe down the street. Garcia brought Chester over, and soon enough, Nate joined them, glad to be spending time at his Aunt Penelope's. She lived nearby, so it was easy for him to go to school. Piper would walk him there every day, taking Chester with. Garcia would come home with a report on Reid, whispering to Piper as Nate did his homework in the kitchen. She would try to check up on him every day, but it was difficult.

Nearly two weeks after Maeve had died, Piper decided over dinner that she needed to go and visit. She'd had time to process everything, and even though it would take a while, she knew she had to start talking to him again, trying to return to normal. So as Garcia read Nate a bedtime story, Piper slipped out the door and headed for the Metro, texting Garcia as she was on her way.

She still had her keys, unlocking the door to their apartment quietly. Reid was laying on the couch, staring at the fireplace. He sat up slowly, looking to see who had just walked in. "Hey," he croaked, having not talked to anyone in a while. He looked exhausted. She could tell he had been up trying to distract himself, books strewn everywhere.

Setting her purse down, she closed the door. "Hey. I'll be right back." She disappeared into the kitchen, noticing that he was running out of a lot of groceries. But there was still coffee, so she brewed some, pouring some for the both of them. She came back to the dimly-lit living room, handing him one of the mugs. "Go on, take it." He accepted, pushing a strand of hair out of his face. _He's wearing his glasses. I bet he hasn't bothered putting contacts in for days. And I bet he hasn't worn anything other than pajamas for a while either._ "We should talk."

Reid nodded, taking a sip of his drink. "Yeah. I… I'm sure there's a lot you want to say, so you first."

Piper took a deep breath, looking at him from the armchair next to the sofa he had been lying on. "Okay, right off the bat, I'm sorry if any of this sounds harsh. I'm sorry that she's dead. She… when we talked, she sounded like a wonderful woman. I can see why you liked her. She was nice, and she was smart, and she was everything I was to you when I couldn't be there. I… I don't understand it, but I can see it, if that makes sense. I don't want to know the details, but I want to know if you're willing… if you want to keep trying. If you want to eventually live with Nate and I again, if you want to eventually share a bed again… I want to know. I want to know if I should keep trying." She had started to cry, but wiped away at her tears as she spoke.

"I do. I love you. And I fucked up. Big time. But Piper, I love you, more than I loved her, more than I've loved anyone. You're the best person I've ever met, and… I can't lose you. I should never have gotten as involved as I did… I should have cured my migraines and stopped… Every time I talked to her… when I would come home, I'd see you reading to Nate, or laying in bed, or sitting up with your laptop, and I'd feel so guilty that my stomach hurt. You'd fly out or drive off, and I'd miss it and then go back to calling her and…" He dropped his head in his hands. "Piper, I'm sorry. I know there's nothing I can do but try to be a better husband… I'm sorry. You… I spent the last two weeks like this. Laying on the sofa and not being able to sleep and trying not to cry and failing…"

Piper set her coffee down, taking his hand and listening. "I poured over our wedding album and kept asking myself why I didn't just try to talk to you. When all of this was happening, I... I kept telling myself you were busy, you were tired and you didn't need to hear it, a dozen other things. But that wasn't it. I was missing you and tried to fill that and I was so wrong and I'm so sorry. It all just hurts, thinking about what happened to her and that it almost cost me the best decision I've ever made."

"Spence," her voice caught in her throat. "I love you. I still love you."

"I love you too." His eyes were red as she moved over to the sofa, putting her arms around him. Reid pulled her closer, burying his face in her neck. "I love you, and I'm sorry. I know I'll never be able to make it up to you, but I love you, and I'm sorry."

"I know. I love you so much, Spence. And it hurts so much, knowing… knowing that I wasn't enough for you, even if it was just for a little while." She was crying now, holding on to him.

Reid held her, not wanting to let go. She still smelled like he remembered, like vanilla and some sort of shampoo he couldn't name. The same scent he would roll over in bed and hope to still find lingering on her pillows when she was out of town, or when she had just gotten up to jump into the shower, before his alarm went off. He smiled a bit, remembering those days when she would roll out of bed, letting him sleep a few more minutes. He would doze off, holding one of her pillows as she started getting ready for work. She would come back once she was out of the shower, shaking his shoulder and telling him to get up, kissing him good morning before going downstairs. Her lips would always taste like toothpaste, and it would make him smile. She'd go to make coffee as he got up, and would be sitting there reading the news and eating breakfast by the time he made it downstairs. They'd get Nate up and get him to school, then head off to work together, stopping where the sidewalk branched off from the parking lot. He'd kiss her again, hoping that he would be able to make it home with her, even though there was often a case waiting for him when he got into the office. She'd always hug him, telling him to have a good day and to be careful, reaching up for one more kiss before she went off to class. He craved another one of those kisses, the ones he'd missed for weeks now, the sweet, lingering kisses that he would wake up to every morning, and the tired ones full of old love he would fall asleep with, the memory of them still dancing on his lips. It was wonderful, remembering all of them with his eidetic memory, but he longed for the feeling again. "You're always enough," he whispered. "I'm not, but you always are. You're everything I need, Piper."

Books. He smelled like old books and the fireplace. She missed being there with him, holding him and having hushed conversations about Euclidian geometry or General Strain Theory or Renaissance literature. Curling up in chairs and on sofas with him and just talking, turning into the soft kisses that she remembered so well. Or sitting up watching reality TV in hotels across the country, cuddled up together and trying to catch a break from thinking about the case they were working on. The first time they'd kissed, that wine-drunk night in a hotel with a hostage situation going on below them… she didn't want to let go of him, even knowing how he had hurt her. She knew he was craving it too, some sort of connection. She hadn't been able to stand not seeing him for weeks, being mad and not talking at all.

Slowly, he turned his head, leaning in to kiss her. Piper followed his lead, Reid pulling her closer until she was straddling his lap. He ran a hand up her thigh, trying to bring her as physically close as possible. "Spence, do you really want to-"

"Yes," he rasped, "I mean, as long as you-"

She cut him off, starting to kiss him again. "Do you want to move upstairs?"

"I've hardly moved from this couch all week. I'm not planning on changing that," he smiled, Piper smiling along. "I promise I won't break your new sofa."

"Hey Spence?"

"Hmm?"

"I know you've been out of the field for a while, but… why don't you use that interrogation room voice on me?" she smirked.

Piper lay across his chest, listening to the crackling of the fire and the still sped-up beating of her husband's heart. She closed her eyes for a second, remembering the first time they'd done anything like that. They'd been in a hotel in Massachusetts, back when they still snuck out of their separate rooms to visit each other. He had apologized a few times, Piper finally asking about it.

" _Look, I'm sorry if I seem-"_

" _Spence, relax," she whispered, pulling him on top of her. "It's fine if you haven't spent the night with as many people as I have. I love you, and it's okay."_

" _Actually, you're, uh…"_

" _Really?" she asked, putting it together._

" _Yeah." He leaned down to kiss her again, explaining, "I was just hitting puberty in college, and I - you know I don't look at people like the rest of the world does. I figured I'd wait for someone I really loved and trusted, and it was fine for me, waiting. And, well… I started my career and time sort of got away from me in… that aspect of my life. So I'm sorry if I suck."_

" _It's okay," she assumed him. "Just come here, follow my lead, and do what feels right."_

The next morning Morgan had punched him in the shoulder playfully, making a joke that was something along the lines of him looking extra-tired that day. Reid had shrugged him off, but there was no missing how red his face had turned.

Piper was the one to break the silence, looking up at him to say, "I'm not sure that was the right thing to do, but-"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"No, Spence, I don't think there is exactly a right thing to do. But I… I think… I don't know, I just have this maybe crazy feeling that everything is going to end up working out. We just need time to sort through it all."


	35. The Diagnosis

Special 2 chapter day because it;s an eclipse day and why not?

* * *

"Can I read you part of this poem?" Reid had picked up a book in the middle of the night, Piper still lying with him on the sofa.

"Sure." She laid her head back down on his chest, throwing an arm over his stomach as he started to read. "But I need a shower soon."

He kissed the top of her head, continuing to read by the firelight until Piper's phone rang. She reached out for it, answering with a quick "Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?" Garcia sounded genuinely worried. "You disappeared hours ago saying you were going to talk to Reid, but you haven't updated me like, at all, and I figured you'd have had a talk with him and left by now, so I tracked your phone and… what are you still doing there?" Her tone changed as she had a revelation. "You didn't…"

"Uh, yeah, I may have," Piper admitted, biting her lip and looking at Reid, who had set his book aside. She placed her phone on his stomach, pressing the speaker button.

"Piper Reid, you're supposed to be mad at him!"

"I still kind of am, it just sort of happened," she explained, Reid trying not to laugh.

"Well where are you now? Well, I know where you are, but _where_ are you?"

"I'm on my sofa." _Well, I'm not lying. Technically._ "I think I'm going to stay here tonight."

"I...ugh, okay, but I have words for you in the morning, young lady," Garcia warned. "Just try to get back before Nate gets up and starts asking where you went."

"Goodnight, Garcia."

"Goodnight, Piper. And goodnight, Reid, who I assume is nearby and/or listening in." She hung up, Piper setting her phone back on the coffee table.

Reid put his arm around her, Piper cuddling up to him. "I am still mad. I'm going to be mad for a while. But I love you, Spence."

"I love you too." He kissed the top of her head. "Did you mean what you told Garcia? That you want to stay here tonight?"

"Yeah. If you want me to."

"I think I'd like that," he smiled, happy that he could hold her again, even if it came with a lot of guilt. "I...agh."

"What's wrong, Spence?"

"My head…"

She sat up, looking serious. "I thought your headaches were gone."

"I thought so too."

"Spence, if they went away and came back now and you haven't changed anything, they never really went away. You should go back to the doctor. Get another MRI," she encouraged, Reid running his hand through his hair. "Please, you have to do something. If you don't think it's psychological-"

"It's not."

"Like I was saying, if you really don't think it's psychological, and it's not a stress thing, you should go back to the doctor. I'll do some research and find the best clinic I can, even if we have to fly across the country," she promised, getting up to grab his laptop. Plugging it into the wall, she shook her head. "No wonder I could never reach you. Your computer is almost dead, and I bet you haven't charged your phone in a while either."

"Sorry."

"It's fine, I'm here now," she smiled, stretching the laptop charger to reach the sofa, taking a seat with Reid. He turned, laying his head on her lap as she balanced his laptop on her knees, trying to keep it from falling as she worked. "Do you know how difficult this is?"

He reached up, holding the side of the laptop. "Maybe this will help you balance."

"Have you seen a Dr. McDermott?"

"Yeah."

"Petrovna?"

"That one too. And a Lee, Michaels, Ramirez, Andovar, and LePeter," he listed. "I've been all over the city."

"Well I've found a brain institute in Maryland we could check out. We'll take a day and go down there. It's worth a shot."

"I'll call in the morning."

Reid and Piper drove down to the brain institute a few days later, dropping Nate off at school before heading out. As Piper drove, Reid was flipping through a case file, reading bits and pieces aloud. She could tell that he was trying to distract himself, but she played along, asking questions and trying to build a profile as she swore at people in the interstate. They made their way up the stairs of an old building, getting lost in the halls before stumbling upon where they needed to be. Reid went to go sign in, and soon enough, they were sitting in an exam room, a doctor asking questions and having them fill out forms.

As Reid left for an MRI, Piper was pulled aside by one of the doctors. "Mind if I ask you a few questions? It helps sometimes if you ask the family separate from the patient. I'm Dr. Ripley, by the way."

She sat down with the doctor, who took out a list of questions from her clipboard. "All I need you to do is tell me about your husband's headaches - the impact of them, the extent, whatever you can think of. I've already covered the basics with him."

"They started ages ago, but I'm sure he's already told you that. They'll come on randomly, where he'll just get a blinding pain in his head. He can't stand the light, or loud noises, or anything like that. He can hardly think, but he works through them. Spence… he's tried a bunch of doctors, and he found a," Piper paused, thinking of Maeve, "a geneticist who was able to give him some advice, but lately it hasn't been working, which makes me think whatever's causing this is getting worse."

Dr. Ripley made a few notes, asking her to go on. "Anything else you can think of?"  
"His mom has schizophrenia," Piper told her, "and I know he's not really in the middle age range for it any more, but he's constantly afraid that he's going to develop it. I can't really blame him. But he swears this can't be psychological. I don't think it is, but I keep telling him to go to a psychologist just in case… that's what I have my degree in, but I'm too close… I shouldn't be…"

"I understand. It's the same with FBI work, isn't it? If you're too close, you miss things."

"I just… he's distracted and yes, he's been stressed, but it's part of the job, and he hasn't had them the entire time he's been at the BAU," Piper sighed, looking through the observation window into the MRI room. "I hate to see him in pain like this, and there's nothing I can do. He's tried so much already…"

Reid took a nap on the way home, since they had tried to induce one of his headaches to get another MRI, and apparently it had worked. Piper stopped off to get gas, looking into the car and watching him sleep. "I hope they can figure this out, Spence. Soon." Dr. Ripley had told her they would have the results in a few days. They weren't planning on being out of town - Reid still had some time off - so they would find out as soon as the lab knew.

The next few days were spent moving back in, the team coming over to help them clean and get things done. Garcia and Morgan took Nate grocery shopping, Blake and Hotch helping Reid and Piper reorganize all of the books and papers that had ended up all over the apartment. They eventually moved on to organizing the study, which Piper would be taking over to write, but not before JJ and Rossi had made dinner. Well, many dinners. "Between the groceries and everything we've made, you should be stocked up for a while," JJ reported, coming into the study, where four of them had gathered to move things around.

"Thank you again. We really can't thank you enough. You all should stay for dinner."

"Mom, Daddy, we're home!" Nate ran in, a candy bar in his hand as Morgan and Garcia followed with arms full of plastic bags.

"Hey." Reid picked him up, carrying his son into the kitchen. "Let's help Aunt Penelope and uncle Derek put everything away, huh?"

"So are things getting back to normal?" JJ asked after they were out of earshot.

Piper nodded, setting a few things on her desk. "Yeah. Sort of. It'll take time, but I think we're going to be okay."

They ended up hosting one of the BAU's dinner parties that night, everyone laughing and having a good time, enjoying the food JJ and Rossi had made and swapping stories. Reid's phone had started to ring as they were clearing plates from dinner, Piper saying that she would get it, since she was heading for the kitchen anyway. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Dr. Ripley, from the Wippold Brain Institute. Mrs. - Dr. Reid, right? Piper?"

"Yes…"

Dr. Ripley took a deep breath, saying, "We're going to need you two to come in and discuss the results of the MRI your husband had on Wednesday."

"That doesn't sound too good," she whispered, trying to keep Reid from overhearing anything.

"There's just… something we'd like to discuss. Can you come in tomorrow around eleven?"

"Uh, yeah, that's fine. I'll let him know. Goodnight, Dr. Ripley." Piper hung up, leaning on the kitchen counter. They had clearly found something. Hoping beyond hope that it was nothing, she walked back into the dinner party, telling Reid that "They want us in for the results tomorrow."

Laying in bed that night, Reid turned to look at Piper, who was sitting up reading. "It's fairly common to find things on MRI-"

"You heard?" She set her book down, looking to her husband. He had been trying to sleep, but she could tell he couldn't.

"No, but that confirms why you've looked extra stressed since that phone call. They found something?"

"She sounded pretty serious, but they have people back in to interpret the results of every scan. It's most likely nothing."

"Hmm."

"I know, you're going to worry about it until we find out too. Come here." She set her book on the nightstand, clicking the lamp off and putting her arms around him. It still felt weird sometimes, since she would think of Maeve, think of their affair… but he needed her. And she needed to know that he was okay. "No matter what happens, no matter what it is, I'll be right by your side, Spence. No more flying out of town, no more driving for hours to get an interview. I've gotten what I need, and I'm going to be here from now on."

"Hi, Dr. Reid and Dr. Reid," Dr. Ripley smiled, shaking their hands as they walked into the clinic the next morning. "Please have a seat." They grabbed chairs as Dr. Ripley put the MRI images up on a lightbox. "So we did some scans the other day, and I found a bit of a shadow right here," she pointed, Reid grabbing Piper's hand instinctively, "I first thought it was a residual shadow form the scans - that happens sometimes. But looking at the other images, it's clear that there is a mass right here. I ran it past some colleagues for second, third, and fourth opinions, and they all agreed. I even brought it to the head doctor here, Dr. Wilson. He-" She was interrupted by a knock on the door.

A middle-aged man in a lab coat walked in, taking a seat across from Reid and Piper. "I'm Dr. Wilson." He shook their hands, saying, "I'm so sorry. The good news is that we caught this very, very early. You can see how small it is in relation. The bad news is that it's a glioblastoma, and it's going to require surgery to fix. I should be able to get it in one go, though."

Piper finished the discussion, Reid caught up in thought. She'd arranged dates and times for visits and surgery and everything else, but he couldn't focus on anything. He nodded along, saying a few words. When they got in the elevator, Piper gave Reid a hug, saying, "It's going to be okay. The mortality rate for brain tumors is only 2.4%. You've got more of a chance of having a heart attack or something."

He didn't reply until they were in the parking garage. Turning to Piper, he gave her another statistic in a shaky voice. "The 5-year survival rate for glioblastomas is 5.5%. I've got more of a chance of having a heart attack or something."


	36. You're Not Dying

On the drive home, Reid didn't say much, Piper held his hand all the way there, not pushing him to talk. He followed her into the house, sitting on the sofa as she went to put all of the doctor's appointment and surgery dates on the calendar, returning with a cup of coffee for him. She wrapped her arms around her husband in silence. "How do I tell the team? How do I tell Nate?"

She had been thinking of this in the car. "We should sit Nate down and tell him that Dad needs to go to the doctor, and that he shouldn't worry, because he's going to be okay. We can have the team over again if you want. That way they don't have to think about work afterwards."

"Can we just call them? I really don't feel like having them all hug us and… and fawn over us and…"

"Spence, they're going to do it anyway. Garcia would literally drive over here-"

"Then can we do it now?"

"If you want to." They'd dropped Nate off with Jessica, so Piper called her first, explaining what had happened and asking if she could just keep him for the night. Afterwards, she called each of the team members one-by-one, asking them to come over for coffee and dessert.

Soon after, the first knock came. Reid groaned, rolling over on the sofa. "I don't want to do this."

"I know," Piper nodded, stopping to kiss him before heading over to the door. "But they're going to need to know at some point, and it's better to get it out now. They'll be able to help process everything."

She let Morgan in, giving him a hug. "Hey, Pipes… Oh, it's not good news, is it?"

"You could tell? You're such a profiler," Piper smiled as she shut the door. "But yeah, we… it's not good. We're going to wait for the whole team before we say anything, though."

Morgan went to keep Reid company, frowning at Piper when he saw his friend laying on the couch again, like he had been for nearly two weeks. The rest of the team arrived within fifteen minutes, Piper sitting them all down and bringing out a pot of coffee and a plate of cookies. She sat down next to Reid, taking his hand. "You all know I've been having headaches for a while," he began, watching everyone pour their drinks and start eating. "Piper and I went to a doctor last week who did some more scans, and… and they found…"

"No," Garcia gulped, looking between them as she put things together. "No, my brilliant baby, no…"

"It's a glioblastoma," Reid said, his voice hollow. "They… they said it's operable, and it's small, so there's a chance they can get it all. I'm going to be out for a little while after the surgery."

"We'll take Nate any time you need," JJ offered, squeezing Piper's free hand.

Hotch agreed. "Jack will be glad to have his cousin over. And anything else you need, just ask. No matter what it is, just ask."

Piper looked to Reid, who she could tell had already zoned out, lost in his head. She thanked everyone else, keeping the conversation going as Reid interjected a sentence or two every so often. Everyone hugged them before filing out the door, repeating their offers to help in any way that they could. She assured them that they wouldn't hesitate for ask, but for now, they just needed their support. Hotch was the last one to leave, stopping Piper before she closed the door. "Listen, it's been a hard month for the two of you. Hell, a hard couple of weeks. Take all the time you need, but keep an eye on him."

"You don't have to warn me about that," Piper promised him. "I know about his history. If there's _any_ sign of ideation…" She signed, looking past him for a second. "I won't ignore anything. He's already depressed because of Maeve, because he realized what terrible decisions he's made, and this isn't going to help anything. But if there's any sign…"

"I know," Hotch nodded. "You've been trained to see them. But if you need-"

"I know. Thanks, Hotch." She reached out and hugged her supervisory agent, Hotch hugging her back unquestioningly.

"And if you two need a night away from Nate, he's always welcome to stay with me."

"Thanks." She watched him go before heading back into the apartment, locking the door behind her. She gathered up the last few coffee cups, seeing that Reid had layed back down on the sofa. After putting everything in the dishwasher, Piper went back into the living room, throwing another log on the fire before sitting on the floor to be level with her husband.

"We have good friends," Reid said, speaking for the first time in a while. "I called my parents earlier."

"How'd it go?"

"Mom cried... she told me she would come and visit if I wanted. Dad... dad offered to help pay for things, but he wasn't as sympathetic."

"I'm sorry. He'll come around, though. He needs time." She ran her hand through his hair, laying her head beside his. He reached out for a kiss, making Piper smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I've got the beginning of a headache coming on." He sighed, closing his eyes for a second. "Every time I feel one of them coming on now, I'm going to think of this thing… this thing slowly growing in my brain… Piper, what if it-"

"No. Spencer Reid, I'm not going to let this thing kill you. There's no way in hell."

"What if it…" he took a deep breath. "What if it destroys everything… everything I've learned, everything I've worked for?"

"Spence, it won't." She put her arm over his shoulder, but Reid sat up quickly.

"You can't promise that. You don't know."

"Well I do know that we're working with some great doctors, and I swear, if I have to, I'll become an expert on this thing and cure it myself."

"I've got a frag grenade in my head, Piper. It's just waiting to rip everything apart." He stood up, heading up the stairs.

"You've been making Irish coffees, haven't you? I know we had a bottle of whiskey-"

"You know I need it right about now. And at the moment, I need to get some sleep," he told her. She nodded, watching him disappear upstairs.

Deciding to give him some time, Piper grabbed her laptop from the study, looking up information on brain surgery and every possible related thing she could think of. Muddling through papers dense with medical jargon, she sat up for a bit, processing as much as she could. The odds weren't great, from the looks of it, but they had found it early and they were doing all that they could. She closed her laptop, putting it back on its charger. It was awful to think about, but she knew that he was more scared than she was or ever could be. After all, it was his head that the tumor was growing in.

Heading upstairs, Piper switched the lights off and went into their room. Reid wasn't laying in bed. _Odd._ The bathroom light was on, so she changed into her pajamas and knocked, thinking that she would take her makeup off, brush her teeth, and go to bed. There was no answer except for an odd hiccuping noise. "Spence? Spencer, are you okay?" He didn't say anything, so she slowly opened the door.

Reid was standing in front of the mirror, his hands on the sides of the sink, supporting himself on the cold marble. He'd taken his glasses off, his head bent as he sobbed into the sink basin. Piper put her arms around him, Reid silently turning to face her as she embraced him. He could hardly get the words out, but kept her close as he managed to say, "I'm dying. I'm dying and this thing is destroying… destroying me. It's gonna… eat away at who I am… at everything I know… and you… you and Nate are going to… going to have to see that… and… I can't…"

"Babe, you're not dying. We're going to take care of it. We're -"

"That's the one thing... I can't know. When I was... I saw a light, Piper... and I know logically it's hard... hard to believe in anything, but there's got to be... this can't be it. But what if..."

"Spence, take a deep breath." She ran her hand through his hair steadily, moving the two of them over to sit in the bathtub. "Take a deep breath, and then another and then another. You can cry if you need to, it's fine. But try to keep breathing so you're at least not hiccuping. Come here. I love you."

"I love you too. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about being a horrible husband… and for putting you through that… and for… for making you marry a man who's going to die…"

"You didn't force anything," she whispered, holding his head to her chest. She kept running her hand through his hair, saying, "I'm going to tell you something, and I want you to listen very carefully. I got to work one day and had no idea where I was going, since I'd been assigned to a new unit. I finally found my way there, and I knew I was going to be late. I walked into this conference room and saw this man who… who looked up at me and smiled a bit, so I sat next to him. We started talking after the meeting, and I knew I wanted to get to know him. He had this amazing mind, and it was like I finally met someone who could make me think, really think. So I did start talking to him, and every day, I would notice something new. Like how he wears mismatched socks. Or how he always carries granola bars in his bag. And then I realized how much he made me smile, and I knew I was falling for him. Then one night on a case we were sitting there and drinking wine and I kissed him, and he turned pink, so pink I thought he'd stay that way. I didn't regret that night, and I haven't regretted one day since."

"You were wearing purple," he said, trying to slow his breath down as he clung to her. "We were sitting in front of the window, watching what was happening at the bank. You were wearing purple… you still have it… the shirt you wore last Tuesday. It was that one. I'd been trying to work up the nerve to talk to you - to tell you how I felt - for weeks. And then you kissed me and… and everything seemed right… I'm so sorry, Piper. How I felt that night… I'd been scared to tell you for weeks. Every time you'd sit down at that desk across from me, I wanted to look up at you, but you would have noticed and started talking and I would have had no idea what to say because you… I couldn't concentrate… there were so many times I almost told you. When we were sitting there, I wanted to tell you, I wanted to be close to you so badly… and then you leaned over and I knew… I knew it was going to happen and I had been thinking about that moment for ages… I'd had dreams about it… I'm sorry." He sniffled, Piper kissing the top of his head. "I'm sorry… it must hurt you so much, thinking about her and I. About everything, the calls, the letters… I burned them. But it still has to hurt… I'm sorry."

"Spence-"

"No, I have to say it. I'm sorry," he told her adamantly. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do to make up for it, but… I should have just talked to you. But that same feeling… that same nervousness… something kept telling me you would leave… I'd always… I never thought you would like me… you're beautiful and smart and… too good for me. Something kept telling me you would leave, or you would be too busy to really listen, like you did in the hotels… and I know it was wrong, but it felt easy to just start telling Maeve things… and it felt so wrong, but I knew I was falling… falling for her and I couldn't tell you but… every time I came home, every time I went to work, every time I looked at my wedding ring… I felt so guilty and I'm sorry."

"Spence, I can't tell you that I'm not mad, that I'm not disappointed," she confided, keeping him close. "But I can tell you that I love you. I love you so much. I can't pretend to understand it, but I can start to accept it. I already have. It's going to take time, like every kind of healing does. And I can promise you that I'm going to be here for you, no matter what happens, even if things get bad. I promise I'm going to be here for you, and I promise I'll always love you, Spence. I know you'd do the same thing for me."

"I don't deserve you."

"It's okay, Spence. It's okay. We're going to get through this together. Don't focus on statistics, or facts or… Don't focus on thinking now," she instructed. "Focus on being right here, right now, where we are." She started rubbing his back, adding, "Just focus on being here. Focus on my voice."

"Please don't pull your psychologist thing."

"Ssh, like I said, just listen to my voice. Do you remember - well, of course you remember. But the first night I slept next to you. We were in Hawaii, and you came over to talk. You'd told me all sorts of things, all sorts of things that brought us closer. I asked if you wanted to stay, since it seemed like the right thing to do. I'd wanted to do that for so long, to lay next to you, to hold you next to me and… it's just a special kind of closeness, falling asleep next to someone. Maybe it stems from trusting that they won't kill you in your sleep, I don't know. But it was so sweet, and it made me feel so much better, having you there. I've loved it ever since."

"I'd never done that before," he admitted, finally starting to catch his breath and calm down. "I'd never… I was so worried I'd accidentally roll over on your arm in my sleep or something. But I wanted to hold you next to me and it made me so happy… I always love when we're both home and I can hold you in my sleep. It's so difficult falling asleep without you when I'm off on cases. I just… you make me feel better, even if it's just having you right there."

Piper kissed the top of his head again. "You're so sweet, Spence. Do you want to go lay in bed now?"

"I… I think I'm going to wash my face off first. I probably look like a red, swollen mess." He sat up slowly, Piper putting a hand to his face. He was pretty much right.

"Just a little bit. But you're still pretty cute."

A few minutes later, they were laying in bed together, Piper turning the lamp off and plugging in the strand of lights they had looped around the headboard. "I could barely bring myself to sleep in here… whenever the fire died, I… I didn't want to get up, but it scared the hell out of me and made everything worse," Reid admitted as she lay back down.

"Well I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere." She pulled him close to her, throwing a blanket over the both of them. "I love you, Spencer Reid."

"I love you too."

"And we're going to handle this together. But if you ever… if you ever want to sit in a bathtub crying your eyes out, just let me know. Sometimes you have to."

He laughed a bit, saying, "I'll keep that in mind. But for now, I think I'm good just having you here."


	37. Zugzwang

They spent the next morning laying in bed, just being lazy, Piper running her hand through Reid's hair and talking to him, telling him stories about anything and everything. She would do it when he couldn't sleep, or when all he could do was worry about his mother. She'd sit there and talk, hoping that it would help. Piper's phone rang a little bit before lunchtime. "Hello?"

"Hey, I tried Reid but he didn't answer. I know this is… well, I know you all are dealing with a lot, but we need him to come in. You're welcome to come too," JJ's voice said on the other end of the call. "I got a flower delivery today, and we think it's from the Replicator."

"What? He… it's been months. Why now?"

"We don't know for sure," JJ admitted, "but we're all getting protective details. One should be on the way to your place right now. His name is Andrew Sanderson. I'll send over a photo in a second."

"What about the kids?"

"They're at school right now. I've already called Jessica. I-"

"I'll stay here for now," Piper volunteered. "When Sanderson gets here, we'll go pick Nate up from school. I'll get Jack and Henry too. It'll be better if we're all here together."

"Good idea. I'll let Will know. He can come and stay with you after work, just so there are more of you in the house."

"I'd feel better if he did. Two FBI agents and a cop should be enough to keep the kids from tearing the place apart," Piper laughed, Reid sitting up to look at her. "I'll let Spence know. It was the same note, wasn't it? The same word we'd been throwing around."

"Yes. I've got to call some of the others, but tell Reid I'll see him soon."

"Will do. Stay safe, JJ." Piper hung up, turning to Reid, who had immediately asked her what was going on, why they were being called in when they were both off for the day. "Zugzwang."

Agent Sanderson, who told them to call him Andy, showed up before Reid left, introducing himself to the both of them and promising that they would be just fine. Reid took off for the BAU soon after, Piper making him promise to text her when he got there. "I'll drive so you can call the school," Andy volunteered, Piper handing him her keys.

The three boys were excited to be leaving school early to get lunch and go to the park, but Piper and Andy kept their eyes glued to them the entire time. Personally, Piper was relieved when they were able to get home. Will came over when his shift was done, bringing some of Henry's things and a bag that Hotch had packed for Jack. As Andy sat with the kids building a giant Lego spaceship in the living room, Will helped Piper with dinner. "They're just glad to have a long weekend," he laughed, looking out at the group.

"I think we should tell them something's going on. I… I said Andy was a friend from work, but they're going to ask questions, especially since we're all sleeping here tonight," she told him, putting a pot on the stove.

"We're gonna have to," he agreed. "We can sit them down after dinner or something." He was the one to gather everyone up in the living room after dinner. The boys had changed into their pajamas as Piper set up some sleeping bags. There was no way they would split up - the three boys were excited to have sleeping bags in front of the fire, and she, Andy, and Will would take the couch and the armchair, with one of them awake at all times to patrol the rest of the house. They'd be up in shifts, just in case anything happened. "Boys, we've gotta tell you something."

Piper sat down on the sofa next to Will, all of them turning to her. "We're all going to camp out here tonight, even Uncle Will. You know your parents all work for the police or the FBI… well, there's a very bad man out there who wants to hurt us. But we're not going to let that happen. We're safer if we stay here together, so that's what we're gonna do."

"What about Daddy? And Aunt JJ? And Uncle Aaron?" Nate asked.

"They're at work right now, finding the bad guy and making sure he doesn't get the chance to hurt us," Piper explained, turning to Will for support.

"They're gonna call us later tonight, so we know they're okay. They're flying out somewhere to follow this guy right now. They're going to catch him."

"But since it's safer here," Piper paused, "we think it'll be better if you took the day off from school tomorrow."

They let the boys celebrate for a little bit, Will heading into the kitchen to make popcorn. Piper's phone rang, so she left Andy with the rest of them, stepping into the hall. "Hey. How's it going?"

"We're working on it. Garcia's getting us a list of potentials right now," Reid told her. "I wish I could be there with you and the kids."

"We'll manage," she laughed, watching Will try to balance bowls of popcorn on his arms as he came back into the living room. "We've got all the doors and windows locked, and don't forget our wonderful guard dog. He's loving the attention. And all the food the kids are dropping on the floor for him. Will, Andy, and I are going to take turns sitting up tonight."

"I hate to say this, but I'm glad we have a case so I don't have too much time to think about…"

"Yeah," Piper agreed, sitting down on the stairs. "You're going to be okay, Spence. You know, it's times like this that I wish you could be here, that I wish you didn't have to fly out all the time… but like I tell Nate, you're fighting bad guys, right? Well, I'd still give a kidney to have you here with me. Any idea when you'll be home?"

"Whenever I can," he sighed. "Hopefully as soon as we catch this guy."

"Want to talk to the kids?"

"Sure. I've got Hotch and JJ right here, geared up to talk. Why don't you just put us on speaker?"

"Okay, give me a sec." She returned to the living room, saying, "Boys, I've got some people here who want to talk to you."

They stayed up for a while, talking to the team, which had flown out to Pittsburgh, before Piper gave Will her phone, letting him talk to JJ while she got the rest of them ready for bed. She was taking the first shift, so she brought down a bunch of spare pillows and blankets, trying to make the sofa as comfortable as possible while the boys clambered up the stairs to brush their teeth and get ready for bed, Andy following in their wake.

Will took the sofa first, Andy falling asleep in the armchair. Piper sat at the dining room table, working on her book and occasionally looking over into the living room to see that everyone was still asleep. Every half hour, she got up to patrol the house, Chester sometimes following her around. Most of the time he stayed with the kids, though, since they adored him. He would dutifully get up and walk the house with her though, since the dog could sense that something was wrong. It was an uneventful night at first, at least until her phone rang.

"Hey, Spence, what's up? Did you get him?" she whispered, moving to the far end of the dining room so she could talk and keep an eye on everyone else at the same time.

"No. But there are photos of all of us up here, even the kids."

It felt like she had had a weight placed on her chest, Piper leaning on the wall. "What? How?"

"There are pictures of all of us at the baseball field, from the game with the Secret Service. They've got Morgan at his gym and Garcia at her public theatre and the kids at school. And me at phone booths, but I… I never used the same one. I know you don't want to hear about it, but it's important. He's been following us so close that he somehow knew..."

"So he's watching us. He's been watching us for a while."

"Strauss says the higher-ups are giving us three days back in DC before they classify him as inactive."

"How? He's going after us. He's stalking our families, Spence. She can't… they can't do that. He's a serial killer, and he's active."

"They haven't found a new body lately," Reid told her, "and they can't definitively prove they're linked. We know they're Replicator killings, but they can't prove it to themselves. They've been talking about pulling us off of the case before, and this is their excuse, I guess. We're not supposed to be investigating a case where we're the victims, even if it is just stalking. But there are pictures of all of us, so he's been watching. We're going to have to be extra careful, since we're not going to have protective details for much longer."

Realizing what this meant, Piper said, "We have to send the kids back to school. We have to keep our lives up, don't we? Spence, we can't stop everything… we're just going to have to wait until he makes another move, won't we?"

"Piper, he followed us to that clinic in Maryland."

"He knows everything about us."

"Which is why I'm going to try to get home as fast as I can," he promised. "We're going to track him down on our own, because we can't just react. We have to get ahead of this guy, because that's the only chance we've got."


	38. As Easy as Brain Surgery

"Where are you and Daddy going this time?" Nate asked as Piper drove him over to Hotch's house one evening. "Uncle Aaron isn't going?"

"Daddy's sick," Piper told him. "You know how he gets headaches a lot? We're going to a doctor who's going to help him fix it. You get to sleep over with Jack for a few days because… because it's going to take a little while. And it'll be easier if you stay with Uncle Aaron, because I'm going to be pretty busy. He's going to be okay, though."

As Nate ran off to put his stuff in Jack's room, Hotch stood at the door, talking to Piper. "Good luck tomorrow. You've got the best doctor in the area. I… I wish there was more I could do."

"This is great," she assured him. "It's going to be so much easier with him out of the house. It'll be a hard few days."

"Well let me know if there's anything more I can do."

"Thanks." She gave him a hug, heading home to find Reid pacing the apartment. "Hey."

"Hey."

"You should probably get some rest, babe. They're going to keep you awake tomorrow, you know," she reminded him, coming over to give her husband a hug. "You're going to be okay."

"I know exactly what they're going to do," Reid replied, wrapping his arms around her. "They're going to keep me awake while they cut me open so they know right away if they've cut the wrong thing and irreparably damaged my brain. They're going to ask me a bunch of basic questions that will get annoying after a few minutes and keep giving me drugs and… you have to make sure they don't give me Dilaudid or anything like it. You have to make sure I don't… Piper, I'm not ready for this."

"I know. No one's ever ready for this. But I'll be there, and I'll make sure they're careful and don't give you anything they shouldn't. We've got to get to the hospital in a few hours. They want to get a bunch of prep done before the surgeons get there. You've got about," she paused, checking her watch, "four or five hours before we've got to go. Try to get some sleep, okay? I'm going to pack some stuff up."

Five hours flew by quickly, Reid too awake to even doze off in the car as Piper drove. She kept talking to him, telling him stories like she would when he couldn't sleep. He didn't say much as they sped through the darkness, instead thinking about what was going to happen as the sun rose. They arrived at the hospital, Piper getting him checked in. "How long can you stay?"

"As long as they'll let me," she promised, shaking hands with Dr. Wilson, who had come in early to make sure his operating room had been prepped to his standards. As Reid was led away for more prep work, she turned to the doctor, asking, "You know how they usually have someone in there asking questions and making sure they don't cut the wrong thing? Can I do it?"

"Ma'am -"

"I have my degree. I'm a psychologist. I've been trained to give all sorts of tests. Technically I can do this," she told him. "I still have all of my accreditations, and it would be a lot better for him if I was there. You're married, aren't you, Dr.? Your wife's name is Amber, right? What if it was her in that OR?"

"My director won't be happy," Dr. Wilson sighed, "but i think I can make some arrangements. You're going to need to scrub up, though. You can stash all of your things in one of the lockers-"

"I'm already on it."

Piper was allowed to say goodbye to him before he was drugged and taken into the OR, Reid clinging to her until the very last minute he could. "I'll be right there with you," she promised, holding him tightly as a nurse checked her watch, making sure they were still on-schedule.

"I know, but there's a chance that they'll mess up and… I don't want to think about it, but I could end up losing so much," he whispered, Piper shaking her head and promising that that wouldn't happen.

"Dr. Wilson's got one of the lowest rates of complications in the country. You're going to be okay, Spence."

"I'm still scared," he admitted in a whisper.

"I know. So am I. But I'll be right there, no matter what." A few minutes later, she was alongside Dr. Wilson and the others who would be in the OR, scrubbing up and getting ready. "We're still set to begin on time, right?"

"Yep," he nodded, drying his hands and checking that they had a plentiful stock of gloves for the operating crew.

"Good."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Dr. Wilson asked as he pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Yes." Piper passed him without another word, taking a seat in the operating room near her husband. He had already been drugged enough to where he wouldn't feel anything, but had to be kept awake. The anesthesiologist nodded to her, Piper saying hello as she double-checked that she had fully prepped. As Dr. Wilson and his team came in, she took Reid's hand. "Hey."

"Hey. Nice outfit."

"They gave me some pretty decent scrubs, huh?" She laughed, the rest of the OR agreeing. She'd been given whatever they could find, so she was wearing a very violent shade of green, something between a highlighter and an awful green apple shade.

"Yeah."

"How are you feeling?"

"It's weird. I can feel you holding my hand, but I feel like you could punch me in the face and I wouldn't feel anything."

"Perfect balance," the anesthesiologist noted. "We want to keep you like that."

Piper looked around the room, watching Dr. Wilson put up the MRI result that Reid had been checking every day. He turned the lightbox on behind them, checking half a dozen other machines and monitors before pulling over a tray of instruments. "Digital mapping system?"

"100%," one of the team members answered, turning a computer monitor to face him. "Ready to go."

"Okay, Spence, they have to sedate you for a little while while they open everything up," Piper explained, meeting his eye. "Then they're going to slowly bring you back so you can talk to me for a while, and then they'll bring you back down again."

"I know, they explained everything earlier."

"There's my Reid," she smiled, rubbing his hand. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? We're going to wake you up in 15 minutes. And I promise I won't give you easy questions."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too." He closed his eyes, Piper looking to the anesthesiologist, who had already turned up the flow of the IV lines.

"You might want to step out for this part," Dr Wilson warned. "The craniotomy can be kind of difficult if you're not used to it."

"I'll be fine. I'm an FBI agent, remember?" She tried not to watch as the surgery team moved in and helped with the craniotomy, but she still had to listen to the controlled sawing and crunch of bone. Slowly, the anesthesiologist dialed down the IV lines, bringing them back to a baseline level that she had established earlier as Reid drowsily opened his eyes. "Hi there."

"Hey. What did I miss?'

"Not a lot," she admitted. "Dr. Wilson's got to be one of the cleanest neurosurgeons out there. He's hardly got any blood on him."

"That's good. Do you have to start asking me questions now?"

"Yeah. Today on Brain Surgery Trivia, we've got quite the array of questions," she smiled. "First, solve the Konigsberg Bridge problem."

"We usually stick to basic questions," Dr. Wilson reminded her.

Piper looked over to him, saying, "Usually. But Spence here has an eidetic memory and an IQ of 187. It'll make him feel better remembering very specific things or solving complex problems, because he'll know that it's all still working." The doctor nodded, allowing her to continue.

"You can't," Reid answered. "Konigsberg needs six bridges and not seven to cross them all only once. Thanks for that, though. I don't think I could sit here answering grade school questions for an hour before they put me back under."

"What are the forces String Theory wants to unify?"

"Gravity, the strong and weak nuclear forces, and electromagnetic force," he replied, one of the nurses shaking his head at the impossibility of the situation. "They operate independently, but theorists think they developed independence and used to be unified."

"What does Washington DC have in common with the periodic table?"

This one made Reid smile. "They don't have the letter J."

"What?" the anesthesiologist asked, looking to the two of them.

"DC doesn't have a J Street, because when you hand-write it, it looks similar to the letter 'I', so they skipped over it. And there's no element that starts with the letter J," Reid told her, looking back to Piper. "What's next?"

"What serial killer was on a pretty famous TV show?"

"Alcala. Easy."

She thought for a second. "Okay, I'll have to give you something that actually requires memory. Uh, let's see… Where'd we go on our first date?"

"We broke into this park on the Potomac with a view of Mount Vernon. Then Gideon called us in and we ended up on a bombing case in Alabama," he recounted.

"When's our anniversary?"

"Better not get that one wrong," Dr. Wilson laughed as he worked, constantly checking the brain-mapping system that he was working with.

"The Ides of March. The same day Julius Caesar died, Czar Nicholas II abdicated, and Gorbachev was elected."

"We're all set," Dr. Wilson said, looking to Piper.

"Okay. You're doing pretty well, Spence, They've got to knock you out for a bit, but then they're bringing you back for Round 2 of our trivia game. Then they get to knock you out again and sew you up."

The rest of the procedure went without incident, Reid answering a bunch of questions that impressed the surgery team. When they had finished the last round of questions, Dr. Wilson sent Piper to go wash up, so she could be ready when Reid was done, since he would be knocked out for the rest of the surgery. She ended up dozing off in a recovery room, waking up when a pair of nurses brought him in. He woke up soon after, smiling at the sight of his wife in scrubs, curled up in a chair that she had stolen from the nurses' station. "Piper?"

"Hey handsome," she smiled, stretching and moving over to sit next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Did they get it all?"

"Yeah. Dr. Wilson came in a little while ago and told me they got everything and he thinks you're going to be okay, as long as you don't go back out in the field for a while. But for now, we've got to concentrate on getting you better. Here, they wanted me to give you a bit of water when you woke up. Careful. They're supposed to be bringing me ice to feed you, but they said a little water won't hurt."

"Thanks."

"They also gave me a lot of things to read and tell you, but I'm gonna boil them down. Basically you're going to be in bed for a few days, then we'll go home and keep you in bed for a few more. But you're going to be asleep a whole lot and we're going to have to keep you on painkillers."

"No."

She took his hand gently, saying, "Spence, you have to. I've already talked to them, and they're going to monitor it super closely. But you're going to be in so much pain if you don't take them. Regrowing bone isn't easy. I promise you I'll hold on to everything when we get home. I'll keep all of the bottles with me or something. I swear I won't let you get addicted again."

"No, Piper, I can't…"

"Honey, you have to. I can get ahold of your sponsor, if you want. We'll be careful, and we'll make sure nothing bad happens. Just like we got through surgery together, we'll get through the recovery process together," she promised.

"Okay. I… I'm sorry, I can't focus too much."

"It's fine. You're going to be pretty loopy for a while. Close your eyes if you want. Dr. Wilson will be in soon." She squeezed his hand, giving him a half-smile.

Reid closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Piper?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."


	39. Aftermath

At the end of the week, Reid was cleared to go home. Piper drove slowly, parking as close as she could to their apartment and taking a while to help him to the door. Reid went to sit down, but stopped in the front hall, looking in the mirror. It was the first time he had seen himself in a mirror since the surgery. "I need to shave. And I look like a raccoon."

"You've always had dark circles around your eyes," Piper smirked. "You do look much better than that first day in the hospital, though."

"And my hair…"

"It'll grow back," she assured him. "Just give it some time. You're just lucky you didn't have to wash all of the blood out of it. C'mon, let's get you a chair and something other than hospital food to eat. I'm going to let you doze off for a bit while I run upstairs to take a shower. I'll grab some pillows and blankets for the couch and the armchair. I don't think we'll try to get you upstairs just yet. But that's okay, we can sleep down here."

"As long as you're with me," he said. Piper had spent her time at the hospital sleeping in an uncomfortable chair, showering in the surgeons' locker room, and eating terrible cafeteria food. She would wake up every few hours to check on him, since he couldn't sleep a full eight hours at the time. She'd slept as close to him as she could, but there was no way they could curl up next to each other like the usually did.

"Of course. I'll move the chair right next to the couch so I can hold your hand while you sleep."

"I already can't wait until I can sleep next to you again. Hell, I can't wait until I can sleep normally," he laughed a bit as Piper went to the linens closet, coming back with an armful of blankets. "Thanks. Do we have any real food?"

"Yeah, I'll see what I can scrounge up."

They called Nate that night, telling him that Piper would be there to pick him up from school the next day and bring him home, and even though Dad couldn't do much, he was excited to see him and have him home. Piper made a cup of tea, giving Reid a little, since "you shouldn't have coffee yet." It was fairly early for them to go to bed, but she knew they wouldn't be sleeping steadily, so she threw a few logs onto the fire and turned all of the lights off except for one lamp in the corner of the room. "Do you want me to do that thing you like?"

"Please?"

Even though he had an eidetic memory, Reid always liked hearing their stories from her point of view, so she would tell them when he couldn't sleep. She'd tell him stories or about the interesting things she had read recently, or about anything and everything she could think of. "Hmm, did I tell you about that time my best friend and I went to Miami? Well, it was our freshman year of college, and there was a festival happening, and we drove hours and hours to get to it. He'd invited some random people to come along to help cover gas money, so we picked them up and headed out from the school. Almost as soon as we were on the interstate, one of the kids in the back seat was pouring drinks and passing them around, which was great for me, since I didn't have to drive, and I could sit there sipping cocktails and reading maps. They weren't staying with us when we got there, but we ran into them when we snuck into this club. It was one of the best trips I took my freshman year."

"What happened to him? Your friend?"

"We keep in contact. He was at our wedding." Reid's face dropped immediately, Piper reassuring him that, "You met, but he's got to be fairly secretive. He would've passed himself off as a science teacher or something, I forget what his cover story is. But he's working for the CDC in Level 4 bioweapons, so he's a step away from Witness Protection. We still talk a lot, though. He's in all of our contacts as Thomas McElmore. You met him. And his husband, I think… You remember Lito, right?"

"The writer?"

"Yeah. The three of us went on the best adventures every time I was back in town from grad school, and then they moved, and I moved, and now we only see each other a few times a year, but we talk all the time," she smiled. "I saw them on the way down to the prison in Florida. I'll fish out some of the old photo albums and show you one day. I'm still so surprised we didn't get arrested some of those times…"

"Hey Piper?"

"Hmm?"

"What if the Replicator comes back before I'm cleared for field work?"

"Then I'll go after him myself," she promised. "You shouldn't worry about that now. Just concentrate on getting better, and I'll handle everything else."

Nate came home the next day, running to see Reid as soon as Piper pulled into their parking space. "Remember, Dad can't-" The door was already closed, Piper chasing after him.

She found Nate sitting on the sofa with Reid, who had been flipping through a book. "Mom, can I do my homework in my pajamas too? And can I get my hair cut like Dad did?"

"Sure, we can go tomorrow. But for now, pajamas will do," she laughed, setting her purse down on the kitchen counter. "Glad to see Dad, huh?" They were inseparable for the rest of the day, Reid helping Nate with his homework and asking about how camping out with Jack and Uncle Aaron had been. They had dinner in the living room, since Piper didn't want to have to bother moving everyone, since they (Chester included) had settled down there. Nate was getting ready for bed when there was a knock on the door, Piper rushing downstairs to get it before Reid got up. She looked outside to see a bunch of familiar faces. "Spence, you've got visitors."

Garcia was the first one in, hugging the both of them and scooping nate into her arms when he came down to see what all of the noise was. "They wouldn't let us visit you in the hospital," she told Reid as she spun Nate around. "I tried, but they kept throwing me out. I got so worried because my baby was going in for surgery and they wouldn't let me see you. At least Piper kept us updated."

"She's not lying," Piper laughed, "she really did keep calling and asking about you. I sent her some great pictures of you while you were knocked out."

"Those'll be on the office holiday cards this year," Garcia nodded, turning to Nate. "Let's finish getting you ready for bed. Early day tomorrow."

"I'd offer you a drink, but I don't think your doctors would like it very much," Morgan joked, sitting down with Reid. "How's it going, man?"

They stayed there late into the night, catching up and swapping stories about the hospital and about what Reid had missed. Everyone promised that they would be there for them, no matter what they needed. They'd offered to take turns watching Nate or to bring food over, or anything else they needed. Piper smiled and told them they'd be sure to reach out to the team if they needed anything, assuring the others they would keep them updated.

Piper spent the next two weeks at home full-time, trying to keep Reid busy. On days when they didn't have to drive down to the doctor, she'd bring back books or try to find puzzles and problems to keep him busy. They would consult on cases, but didn't go out into the field much. Piper would bring Reid along when she went to walk Chester, adventuring around the neighborhood and trying to get some exercise, since sitting around and waiting for bones to regrow was a drawn-out process. When Dr. Wilson had cleared it, they began to spend half-days at the BAU offices, consulting on local cases and doing paperwork. Piper would drive them home around lunchtime, and would work on her book while Reid napped, exhausted from the effort it took to go into work.

After nearly three months, Reid went back to work, Piper kissing him goodbye and wishing him a good day, watching as he headed down the road towards the nearby Metro station. She turned and went to her study, checking behind the books that she had used to conceal all of the painkillers they had given her at the hospital. Everything was still there. She'd kept a count of the pills she had hidden, and everything still added up. Good. She had been the one to give him all of his painkillers, and she kept them monitored, both to ease her own worries and his. He didn't want to get addicted again, but he always feared that he would. Lately she'd been weaning him off of them, and it looked like it was working.

Piper picked up the phone, waiting as she was transferred to a nurse's station and then to a doctor and then over to a woman's voice. "Good morning, Diane. Is it a good day?"

"Piper, it's good to hear from you," Reid's mom smiled on the other end of the line. "How's my boy doing?"

"Much better," she reported as she went to make another cup of coffee. "He's headed to work now. He went in late to avoid having to deal with the crowds on the Metro, but he's on his way. We're still thinking about visiting when Nate gets a break from school. I'm sure he'll love you."


	40. The Replicator

A.N.: The Replicator case was such a cool one! It was strung together really well throughout the season. And I like how it even brought Hotch's brother back into the storyline.

* * *

"We should take Nate to visit your mom," Piper suggested one day while she and Reid were sitting in the living room working. She was editing a chapter in her book, Reid going through a case file as he stretched out next to her on the sofa. "She's been asking about him."

"You've been talking to my mom?" He closed the file, looking up at her.

"She'll call me sometimes when you're out on cases. We should take him to visit her. It doesn't have to be in the sanatorium. We can have her meet us somewhere. There are parks all over outside of the city. We could do with a vacation," Piper offered. "Think about it. Just think about it."

"I will," he promised, turning back to his file.

"Shit. Spence, they need you," Piper said a moment or two later, looking down at the messages that were flying in from Garcia. "Garcia's… oh shit. Spence, oh fuck."

"What's-"

Piper was already on the phone with Garcia. "Stay calm, we're on the way. I'll be there as soon as I can. Spence, get some stuff together, I'll take Nate to Jessica's. No, I'll take him to Will. We need someone with police training. Penelope, hang on, we're on the way." She turned to Reid, looking panicked. "He's in Garcia's system. The one no one can hack. He's got photos of you at the doctor and… Spence, he's been watching our apartment. This sick -"

"Piper, deep breath." Reid caught her in his arms, Piper still holding the phone to her ear. He gave her a hug, saying, "We're going to be fine. I'll grab our go-bags, you get Nate and Chester to Will. Wheels up in 30?"

"Wheels out in 30," she clarified. "They're coming back to us. We'll start here, and they can catch up when they touch down."

They made it to JJ and Will's in record time, aiming to meet everyone in the conference room when they got back. Will had promised he would stay with Henry and Nate until the Replicator was caught, and Piper called to check up on them when they got into the city, even though it was late at night. "Strauss is gone," she reported as they raced through the streets. "Wait, shit, no, she's been drugged. I…" She listened for a second, telling Reid, "Morgan says she's in big trouble. We have to get to the Bureau. They're all already on the way there, and we can get set up. He's three steps ahead of uu as -"

Reid shook his head, saying, "You can't freak out over this -"

"Yes I can, Spence. She's dead. The Replicator's gotten to her. He's going to go after all of us. He's hunting us down, and he's not going to stop until we stop him."

"What?"

"Strauss is dead, and he got into Garcia's place," Piper said, filling him in, "He's flaunting that he can get into anywhere. He can get Nate if he wants to." She stopped, pulling into a parking space. "Tell Dave to have a good flight. Bye, Morgan." Looking to Reid, she concluded, "He's an FBI agent."

"How do you know?"

"He knew about the Foyet case, he got into Garcia's place, he's tracking all of us... literally our every move, he's doing things that require FBI access," Piper reasoned, jumping out of the car. "He's got to be someone who was personally wronged… you know, for her only being in the field a little bit, he had a lot of stuff on Strauss." She swiped her ID to get into the building, Reid following in her wake. He could tell she was still thinking. "He was aiming for her first. Something she did set him off. I have to tell the others."

Reid put a hand on her arm, saying, "Call them and I'll get a geographic profile set up. We've got to stay focused, especially now."

They worked through the night, Hotch realizing that there were only a few people who could have gotten the details on the case - all of them in the highest levels of the justice system. Piper ran downstairs to Garcia's lair, seeing that her entire system was still down. She and Kevin were busy trying to get everything back up, faxing information in from other departments and from their connections at Interpol. While the team divided up people with security clearances high enough to know about Area 51, Piper helped Garcia and Kevin try to sort things out. She spent most of her time running faxes back and forth, eventually setting up her laptop and making a makeshift command center in the basement office. "Piper." She picked up her phone seeing that Reid had been calling.

"They dosed Rossi."

"What?"

"Someone left an envelope on his desk and he was drugged. Luckily the transdermal absorption rate is less than if he ingested it, so he's going to live, but the Replicator is definitely in the Bureau. Oh, and we're sticking to cell phones because we don't know if he's listening in on the landlines here," Reid told her as she ran another fax over to Garcia. "He's trying to turn people against each other."

"Hey, I'm starting to get cameras up," Garcia called. "I'm live in the conference room, the hall in front of it, the bullpen... the elevator camera just got back up..."

Piper's phone rang again. Assuming it was one of the team members, she kept working on the bit of code that she knew. "Whatcha need?"

"This is the lovely Dr. Reid, isn't it?"

"Who is this?" She rolled her chair back, motioning for Garcia. There was still no way to get a trace on the call, but she wanted someone else to hear.

"Call me Adam. Adam Worth. I've got to tell you, you're definitely the prettier Dr. Reid. Speaking of your husband, do you know where he is right now?"

"Yes."

"Really? That must be nice. After months of flying in and out of his life, it must be nice to know he's not sneaking off to phone booths or squirreling away letters from another woman." Piper looked to Garcia in shock. Garcia had started recording the call on her phone, Kevin now looking over to see what was happening. He joined them shortly. "Then again, it must have been difficult even before, having an insufferable idiot who calls himself a profiler but can't quite read emotions as a husband. Tell me, did taking out part of his brain do anything to help with that? Or with -"

"Listen, Adam Worth, I swear I'm going to hunt you down myself. If you come close to my family, you're not going to enjoy it. I'll make it look like an accident."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, not if I make it look like an accident first. I do owe you a fall." He hung up, Garcia stopping the recording.

"'I owe you a fall'?" Kevin asked.

"James Moriarty. Adam Worth was the guy Arthur Conan Doyle based him off of. The Napoleon of Crime - he wants us to think he's some sort of god."

"Well I've got a name. It's a John Curtis. He lost a big promotion after the Amerithrax case and got shipped off to Kansas City instead of the New York office," Kevin said, handing her a file. "He made it back to DC, and now he's taking it out on the BAU."

"We've got to get a team out to his place," Garcia resolved, taking the file and rushing up the stairs to find the rest of the team.

Piper turned to Kevin, shaking her head. "Let's get this thing running before he tries to take it down again. Any time I get something up, it's shot down within five minutes. We're going to need system security if we send them out there."

Twenty minutes later, two FBI helicopters were taking off for Curtis' home. Piper and Kevin were working on keeping the system up while the Replicator kept trying to take it down, Garcia monitoring the helicopters from the one camera they could gain access too. She had them on radio, but the images were fuzzy at best. "Piper, Kevin!" They rushed over, leaving the work spaces they had made for themselves, watching in horror as one of the helicopters started dropping dramatically. "Wait, wait, they got it stabilized." Speaking into the radio, she asked if everyone was okay. Piper and Kevin stood behind her, watching the tiny image of a helicopter struggling to stay in the air.

"Fine, we're stabilized," Hotch's voice replied. He paused for a moment before continuing, trying to keep his voice under control. "No, we're spiraling, autopilot's out and we-"

The radio cut out seconds later. Garcia put a hand to her mouth, taking her headset off for a moment as they watched the helicopter's grainy image plummet to the ground. "No. No, I… We had it... no..."

"Who was on that chopper? Penelope, who was on that chopper?" Piper grabbed her shoulder, trying to make out the shapes she saw on the screen. "Who was on that chopper?"

"Hotch, Blake, and Reid," Garcia cried.

"That's what he meant, 'I owe you a fall'..." Garcia pulled her into a hug as she pulled out her phone, starting to dial. "Spence, please pick up. Please…"

"Hello -"

"Oh thank -"

"You have reached the voicemail of Dr. Spencer Reid. Please leave a message -"

Piper sighed, shaking her head at Garcia and Kevin. She dropped into a chair, biting her lip. "Spence, I don't know… Look, if you get this, call me. Please. I saw what just happened, and I need to know you're alive. I need to hear your voice, Spencer. Please…"

"I'm so sorry," Kevin offered, giving her a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"Come on, let's get to work," Piper said, trying to keep herself from crying as she broke away from the others to sit back down at her computer. "We've got to get the rest of them through this. We're not losing anyone else."

"Piper, it's okay if you need to step off," Garcia assured her. "You can't repress something like this. At least go get a drink or something. I've got bottles of water down here somewhere."

"We have to get to work. We have to help the others. And there's a chance they could still be alive."

Garcia and Kevin shared a look, but sat back down and started to try to get the computer systems up and running. They had been working for thirty minutes or so when Piper's phone rang, the profiler answering immediately. "Hello?"

"Hey, I just got your message."

"Spence, there's no way I'm letting you out of my sight once you get home," Piper smiled, wiping away her tears. "You don't know how glad I am to hear your voice. What's going on?"

"Nothing much. I'm headed for the Bureau. We just left a building that was lined with C-4 and ended up exploding. Curtis died, but not before he got into Blake's head a bit. Everything's going to be okay. And I think we should take that vacation. Being so close to dying again made me think."

"Good. I, uh, that's good. I'll meet you here. Just… get back to me in one piece, will you?" she asked, more relieved than she had been in a long time. "Be careful."

They were back within twenty minutes, walking into the bullpen as a group. Kevin, Garcia, and Piper were waiting for them, everyone exchanging hugs. Piper found Reid first, wrapping her arms around him. "It's things like that... that make me appreciate every minute I have with you," she whispered, trying to keep herself from crying again. "Spence, I swear I watched you die. I swear… I'm just… just happy when you make it home to me."

"How about that vacation? I think we deserve one," he proposed. "We'll take the next few days and fly out. Hotch will understand."


	41. Dallas

A.N.: I was at a party last night and someone compared me to Reid... it was literally the highlight of my night. I've been honored. In other news, I have to close at work tonight and then open tomorrow morning, so I'm going to be exhausted. No real weekend for me.

* * *

The flight out to Las Vegas was a fairly long one, especially since they weren't on the normal jet. But they made it out west, checking into the hotel a little before dinner time. Hotch had given his blessing as soon as Piper had walked into his office, not having to explain anything. "Go. Take a couple of days and get out of the city. Besides, Nate deserves to meet his grandmother."

Nate and his grandmother got along famously. She and an aide from the hospital met them at a park for lunch, Reid introducing her and telling Nate that she got sick sometimes, so she stayed with some doctors. They embraced each other immediately, sitting down and talking like they had known each other their whole lives. When Piper took Nate to grab more water bottles, Reid's mother turned to him and said, "You know, I've always been proud to be your mom. You've done great things. And now I can tell he's going to take after you and do great things too. You've got a great family, Spencer."

Piper returned a second later, with Nate following in her wake. "I'm still so glad to see you again, Diane," she smiled. "It's great talking to you when Spencer's off on a case, jet-setting around the world, right?" She leaned her head on his shoulder for a second, Reid smiling.

"You two make a wonderful couple. Still reminds me of how you were on your wedding day."

 _If only you knew all of what we've been through,_ Piper thought. "Thank you. It's difficult, especially when we're apart on cases or for writing interviews, but we make it work. Every time he goes off on that plane, I can never wait for him to get home again."

They spent the rest of the day with her, Nate not letting go of her hand the whole time. He also hardly stopped talking to take a breath, his grandmother smiling along at how smart he was. They bade her goodnight when she had to head back to the hospital, making plans for the next day. When they got back to their hotel room, Reid and Nate went down to the pool, Piper promising that she would be there in a few minutes. She wasn't wrong, but she did come with bad news.

Standing at the gate of the pool, she sighed, watching her husband and son splashing around in the water like a normal family. _Just once, I wish we could have a normal family vacation. Just once._ "Mom, watch this!"

"Nice job," Piper laughed, watching Nate cannonball into the water. "Hey Spence, Hotch called. We've got a sniper in Dallas. He's giving us tomorrow, but we have to be on the plane by 7 at night."

Nate slept on the plane as Reid and Piper reviewed the case file. Five people had been confirmed dead, and a sixth was still struggling in the ICU after surgery. He wasn't looking good. "What are we going to do about him?" Reid asked, checking that Nate was still asleep in his window seat. "I would've been tempted to leave him with Mom for a bit, but he can't really stay there."

"We do what we always do. I'll hole up in the sheriff's office with him. We'll be safe there and I can help you guys out from the station. You can go out in the field like you always do." She sighed, closing her eyes for a second. "You know, it's really weird being in the field when I've been behind a desk for so long."

"Don't say that or they'll put you in Strauss' place," Reid joked.

Piper remained serious, taking his hand and confessing to him that, "They did offer me the job a little while ago. I'd be overseeing our team and the rest of the BAU, but there's no way I could. I don't think they'd put me in charge of my husband, and besides that, I'm happy working press and research with all of you."

"You never told me…"

"I never considered taking the job, and we were pretty busy with getting you healed up, dealing with the Replicator, all of that. There's no way I would have taken it, Spence. I'd much rather have one foot in the office and the other in the field. There's no way I can stay behind a desk for the rest of my career."

When they landed, they learned that there had been another shooting, this one at a gas station, and that the man in the ICU had died, bringing the victim count up. Reid went to check out the scene, Nate and Piper heading for the police station, where they joined the effort to create a profile. Piper dispatched Nate to tape maps to the boards that they had brought in, having him highlight things for her, and generally keeping him occupied while she worked. He didn't mind, especially since he got to say hello to all of the officers who came by, including the resident police dog, who had retired years before but still practically lived at the station, since his partner was still on the force.

"We're looking at someone with experience, either with law enforcement or in the military. What appeared to be random shots with a lot of misses revealed that they were all actually incredibly precise, with forensic countermeasures being taken to make it look like he isn't as good as he is. That also suggests a law enforcement background," Piper explained to the gathered officers later on. The team had returned with a more concrete profile.

"The next targets, if he has any, won't have long. The public needs to remain vigilant," Hotch added, sending everyone on their way.

Piper and Garcia stayed on the phone with each other as they worked, Nate often stopping by to say hi to his Aunt Penelope as she and Piper worked. They relayed information back and forth, and over to the team as they slowly unraveled the lives of all of the primary victims. "Black Cross Security Services," Piper said, Garcia agreeing. "This guy here, he's been trained… everything lines up. Wife left for a shelter four, no five weeks ago. It fits Reid's theory."

"He's using a contract killer. JJ went to talk to him earlier. That's got to be it. I'll let the team know." Garcia called Hotch, filling him in as she and Piper tried to track their unsub down.

"I've got a cell tower ping in the River District," Piper reported, Nate coming to look at the maps she had up on her computer. "If we look at his office…"

"Colin Bramwell," Garcia said, looking at her computer. "I've got him. The sniper. Work on getting Carcani while I get his info to the team."

"Got you," Piper replied, going back to her work, Nate sitting on her lap. "Okay, I've got him. I'll have someone dispatched to pick him up at his office. Nate and I are going to track him through security cameras in the meantime."

They made it back to Washington DC late that night, Piper driving home from the airstrip as Reid and Nate slept in the car. Nate had been excited to be on the official jet, asking if he could sit up front. Of course, the pilot let him in the cockpit and had him help fly the plane, which delighted him. "He's in the 'I want to be a pilot' phase," Piper explained when her son's voice came over the intercom.

Making it home in the middle of the night meant they only had a few hours' worth of sleep when Garcia called them in again, saying it was time to meet the new Section Chief. "Oh, and I've got a lobotomy for you," she told Piper, who had gotten up as soon as she called. "Real gory one. You're gonna like this."

"Wow, thanks. Tell the Chief our unsub must have medical training if the guy's had a lobotomy and is still alive. Normally unskilled lobotomize-rs don't end up leaving their victims alive for long. Think Dahmer. We'll see you soon."

"They're going to want me to interview the victim, I can already tell," Piper concluded, standing in front of the bathroom mirror as they got ready to head in. "Poor guy's going to need a lot more than a psych consult, though. He can't speak at all. I'll be able to get him to communicate, but it's going to be slow. Good news is it's only in Baltimore, so we'll probably make it home tonight. Sorry if I used up a bunch of the hot water."

"You and your scalding showers," came the reply from behind the shower curtain. "You think the new Section Chief is going to be any good?"

"I've heard of him. Matt Cruz spent most of his time at the Bureau Headquarters. He used to be in the Army, and he did some classified work a few years ago that I'm not supposed to know about, but… well, there's a wonderful woman named Penelope Garcia who came in handy. I know he was working in the middle East for a while, but we can't get too much more on it. I'm going to go wake Nate up and make more coffee. See you downstairs."


	42. Thursday Morning Coffee

A.N.: I'm exhausted... I closed at work and then opened this morning, and we had a wild day where we ran out of every possible thing in the restaurant. But I'm home now, and I'm writing!

* * *

"It doesn't just go away if you store these, Spence," Piper told him from her spot on the sofa. "Please, get rid of them." She sat with a bundle of letters she'd found in her office, stashed on a shelf that she hardly used. She'd been looking for one of her notebooks, stumbling on the pile instead. "I thought you said you were getting rid of all of them."

"I'm sorry, I…"

"I didn't read them. I wanted to, but I know it'll only make things worse. I also know they haven't been moved in months because they were covered in dust. But all the same, they're there."

"Throw them in the fire, then," Reid said with a shrug. "I'm not attached to them."

"You should do it." She got up, handing him the stack of letters from Maeve. "You married a psychologist, I know how these things work. You should be the one to burn them. It'll make me happy, but it'll help you more."

He walked over to the fire, tossing the bundle into the flames without question. "That's the last of them, I promise. They're gone. Happy?"

"No, and that's exactly why. The Spencer Reid I married wouldn't have finished his sentence like that. I'm no linguistics expert, but 'happy?' in that tone of voice doesn't make you sound too happy."

"And that makes it sound like you've got something on your mind," Reid answered, sitting back down.

"I've been thinking. We should see someone, Spence. It's obvious that you haven't resolved everything with Maeve, and I've got to talk everything over with someone who isn't Garcia or JJ," she suggested. "I love you. But if we don't talk about this, we're just going to get more and more mad about the small things."

"Okay. I assume you've already done your research."

"Her name's Mindy, and she's done marriage counseling for 35 years," Piper confessed. "First appointment is next Thursday morning, as long as we're in town. She's done a lot of work with on-call agents, so she understands."

They dropped Nate off at school together on Thursday morning, heading over to the office Piper had found right after. There was a lot of talking and a bit of crying, the two of them making it to work only a little late. It went on like this for a few weeks, until they went in for a briefing one day, Hotch abruptly stopping and falling to the ground. While the rest of the team was dispatched, Piper stayed with him, Garcia joining her soon after. Rossi checked in with them before heading off with the team, leaving the two of them to manage things back in DC.

"The nurse says it's torn scar tissue from when Foyet attacked him," Piper reported, sitting down next to Garcia with a cup of coffee. "What are you knitting?"

"It's a scarf for Jack. I'm working on one for Henry and Nate too." She set her knitting needles down, looking to Piper, who had just taken a book out of her bag. "Hey, why are you and Reid always a few minutes late on Thursday mornings now?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You two are always five or ten minutes late. I know you're in the briefings on time, but you're a few minutes late making coffee and turning your computers on and stuff."

"We stop for coffee every Thursday morning," Piper deflected. Garcia pursed her lips, Piper finally sighing and admitting where they really were. "We're seeing a marriage counselor in the District. It's really helping. For a while there, we weren't doing too well. He had started…" She shook her head, dropping the rest of the sentence in midair.

"You what?" Garcia asked. "You can't just stop like that."

"I hate that I hate her. She was such a smart woman, and she was so nice… but I have to hate her. But then I feel so bad for Spence, and everything he went through after he lost her, and how afraid of losing me he was… I went to check up on him in the middle of the night, when I stayed over with you," she confessed. "It had been a few days and I thought I should check up on him. He… he had a needle in his hand, Penelope."

 _She'd unlocked the door quietly, thinking that she would just stop in for a little while to make sure he was okay. She couldn't help but feel bad for him, even if she was still extremely pissed off. It was fairly dark, the firelight dying out. In the shadows, she could see a figure sitting there, examining its arm. He held a needle in his right hand, Piper realizing what was going on only as he held the needle over his arm, hesitating. "Spencer, don't." He turned to look at her, setting the needle down carefully as she came over to sit next to him. "Please, don't. I know this is hard for you, but please. You can't do this to yourself."_

" _You don't know anything about -"_

" _I might not know how you feel right now, but I know you, Spencer Reid. I know how hard you worked to get off Dilaudid, and I know how hard you work every day to stay clean. I… I might not be the best person to talk to now, but I do love you, and I don't want you to hurt yourself."_

" _You left and…"_

" _Spence, I didn't leave because I'm leaving you. I left because I need time," she explained, taking his hand slowly. "I need time to think, time to process everything without you right next to me, But I promise you, I'll be back in a little while. We both need time. And if you want to try again, I'll be willing to, when you're ready. But I just need time. I know you're sorry. I know, believe me. But we both need time to mourn and process everything. And part of that is making sure we're okay. You can't just… you can't do this to yourself. It's not going to bring her back, it's not going to help anything…"_

 _He nodded, painfully asking, "Can you get rid of it?"_

" _Only if you help me," she offered, standing and grabbing the needle he had set down. Reid picked up the bottle he had at his side, following her to the kitchen sink. "Pour it all down the sink," Piper instructed as she fished a plastic bag out of one of the drawers, dropping the needle in it before she shattered the glass._

 _Reid obeyed, handing the bottle to her when he was done. "I'm sorry."_

" _It's okay, it's a natural reaction. Do you have any more of it?"_

" _No. I grabbed that one from a drugs bust case," he admitted. "They hadn't finished logging evidence, and I sort of just stuck one in my pocket."_

 _Piper stayed with him until he fell asleep, immediately turning the house over and looking for more. She trusted him, but still, she had to verify. She also collected everything she could think of that could be addictive. Or dangerous. You could never be too careful. She left a note explaining why so many things were missing, promising she would keep them safe._

Spence, I'm sorry. I had to check. While I was at it, I took a bunch of other things too. Just in case. I trust that you'll be okay, but people in pain can do desperate things sometimes. I've got your gun too. I won't mention any of it to anyone, but I just want you to be okay. I'll call you tomorrow. I love you, and I always will. - Piper

 _She had left in the middle of the night, creeping back into Garcia's place and pretending like she had been there all night. Garcia hadn't been any the wiser in the morning, Piper shrugging her dark circles off as "not being able to sleep. It's a lot to think about, you know?"_

"Oh my… I never knew. I never would have guessed," Garcia shook her head, looking over at the operating room that Hotch was in. They had been watching it for a while, but there was no new news. If a nurse or a technician left the room, they would quiz them immediately, hoping to hear something about how Hotch was doing. She sighed, telling Piper that, "I won't pretend to have all of the answers. But you two are off to a good start. At least you're talking and… and you've found someone to help you work things out."

"Yeah, we're doing much better, but there's still work to do. For being a psychologist by training, I'll admit I'm not the best at reading things like that, or knowing what to say. And you know Reid, he's not the world's best communicator. He's good with unsubs, but he misses important things with everyone else. It's a different kind of talking," Piper explained as someone left the operating room. "Excuse me, that's our boss in there. Can you tell us how he's doing?"

"It's been difficult, but they're almost done. He should be fine, as long as he doesn't rip the stitches. He'll be out for a while, but I can have someone show you to the room we're going to put him in," the technician offered.

"That would be great." Piper and Garcia gathered their things, stationing themselves in the room and calling the team, reporting that Hotch would be okay, but he was going to be out of the field for a while. "It's got to still be difficult for him, all of this stuff happening - Maeve, having to have surgery, everything with Hotch - all of it happening at once. But Mindy's helping, as far as I can tell."

"She's one of the best marriage counselors out there," Garcia nodded along, continuing to knit.

"Wait, how do you know?"

"I may have looked into your computer history because I was curious about where you two were on Thursdays."


	43. JJ

It was well after midnight when Reid got home from a case, setting his bag down and petting Chester, who had run to greet him. He made his way up the stairs, peeking into Nate's room to see his son sleeping peacefully. As quietly as he could, he crept into his room, seeing that Piper was already asleep too. She'd remembered to turn on the string of lights they kept on at night. Well, she did that even when he was out of town. It had become a habit, and now she couldn't sleep without them. He glanced over to her while he was brushing his teeth, watching her as she dreamed. "Hey," she said sleepily as he lay down beside her, Piper curling up to him and smiling. "You're home early."

"Hey." He draped an arm over his wife, giving her a kiss. "It's good to see you again. I missed you."

"Good to see you too, Spence. I'm glad you're back. How was Cleveland?"

"Long story short, we caught the guy. I'm exhausted. Rossi and Morgan kept me up playing poker on the plane." He yawned, closing his eyes and mumbling answers to the rest of Piper's questions.

They didn't have too long to sleep, though. It was early in the morning when Hotch called to say that JJ and Cruz were missing. By the time they got to work, everyone was meeting in the conference room, slowly realizing that JJ's work for the State Department - and Cruz's - was not all that it seemed, and that was why someone had kidnapped them. Someone wanted information, and they needed both of them to do it. "Maybe a security code," Blake had said, filling them in as they took the elevator together, "one that requires two parts that only they know. We're thinking it has something to do with JJ's time at the Pentagon, since Cruz used to work in State. They could have done a lot of work together."

"Justice, Defense, and State wouldn't be on high alert over two missing agents," Morgan was saying when they walked in. "Whatever they were a part of back in 2010 wasn't your average mission."

"It had to have been something in the Middle East," Reid reasoned, sitting down at his desk. "That's where most secret operations are based, at least since 9/11."

"I'm already on it," Garcia nodded, typing furiously. "There's a block on the files. We're need the physical copies from the SCIF. I can try to run a back hack, but we should check for the physical copies while the program is running."

"She might have copies in her old office," Rossi proposed. "She would have kept them close, especially if they were on a mission that's still classified."

"It's got to be something big if it's still classified. That was nearly four years ago." Piper thought for a minute as Reid and Garcia ran down to the closest Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility - the SCIF, where sensitive files were held in order to keep classified secrets classified - to find the physical copies of the files. Blake and Rossi headed to JJ's old office, trying to hunt down any copies she might have hidden there. "She took down Bin Laden."

"What?" Morgan asked, shaking his head. "There's no way. She couldn't have been on that team. Our JJ?"

"JJ was part of the operation that ended up taking down Bin Laden," Piper spoke quickly, standing to pace the room. "She was there to interrogate the women they had captured, since it's much better to have a woman talking to the women there. Defense knew she was good at building a rapport with people, that she knew how to hide information, and that she knows a whole lot more than we thought she did, which is why they're not telling us anything. I'd bet anything that someone in the camp she was in took her."

"We're getting nowhere fast with the State Department," Hotch reported an hour later as he headed out of a meeting with the Secretary of State. He had called in from the city to report the bad news. "We've been kicked out of the SCIF and the databases, so we're going to have to pull what resources we can. I'm calling in an old friend. I'm sure you'll all be glad to see her again."

Prentiss was in the air in less than 20 minutes, telling them that they were looking for a translator named Askari, who had sold the team out, turning out to be a torturer and serial killer himself. She had fished out as much information as she could from Interpol, reporting everything that she could find on JJ, her time in the Middle East, and the team that she was working with back to the BAU.

"He had to have a high-ranking partner in all of this to get what he needed," Rossi threw out, "it couldn't have been Cruz. It isn't him. It couldn't be. They took him for another part of the passcode, like Blake said."

"Then it must be one of their coworkers. Hastings - the man who was taken by Askari's men, it has to be him. There's no other reason they would take him and not have killed him yet. He couldn't have held out for that long, so he must be on their side. He's still alive, and he's working for them," Piper thought aloud, again pacing the room. "Get Prentiss on the phone. She's got to have more information. She saw JJ during that time. Maybe JJ mentioned something that could help."

They were only on the phone with Prentiss for a few minutes before they realized that JJ and Cruz had to have been somewhere local, since torturing two people and traveling to hack a server would have been difficult at best. "6 servers in DC, no active hard lines. We need to go down the list. Sending to your phones and tablets now," Garcia reported. "Wait, there was a panic code sent in… half an hour ago from.. Got it." She looked to where the agents were gathered. "Save my JJ."

Piper turned to Reid, giving him a kiss. "Go get my friend. I'll be with Will and Henry."

"What about you? You're sure you don't want to go into the field?"

"I've done some thinking, Spence. We can talk about it later, but… basically I think only one of us should be out on dangerous missions at a time, just in case. For Nate," she told him, giving him a hug. "I love you. Now go save her."

As the team left the room, Garcia looked to Piper. "Make sure the boys are okay."

She nodded, telling her, "Make sure our boys and girls get home okay."

Piper headed out for Will and JJ's house, showing her badge to the protective detail at the door. She'd picked Nate up at school, bringing him with to play with Henry. While they ran off to Henry's room, Piper sat with Will, drinking coffee and hoping that they would have news about JJ soon. "I don't know what to tell him," Will admitted, looking to Henry's room for a second. "I said she was away for work, that I didn't know when she would come home because she's off fighting the bad guys. If she doesn't make it back…"

"They'll get her back," Piper promised, squeezing her friend's hand. "She's going to be okay. We've got a great team, and she's strong. She'll fight them."

Will shook his head, sighing. "I wish I knew she was okay."

"She is, and she will be," Piper assured him. She checked her phone, looking for a message from Reid. Something. Anything. They needed news, but nothing was coming through from the team. It took a while, but as soon as her phone rang, Piper pounced on it. "Give me some good news, Spence."

"Hello to you too," he laughed. "JJ and Cruz are okay." Piper put him on speaker so Will could listen too. "They're going to be fine. They're being checked out by a medical team, but they should be released in a few hours. The rest of us are headed back to the BAU to drop our gear off and then we'll be headed home. Prentiss is staying for a bit, so we're probably going out for dinner with her."

"That sounds great," Piper smiled, giving Will a hug, the two of them incredibly revieved. "They're all okay?"

"They're all okay. We got our guys, and JJ and Cruz are back in one piece, more or less. I'll see you soon."

They spent the evening with Prentiss and the rest of the team, catching up over dinner and drinks. Will and JJ had stayed home, Cruz staying with them for a little while before he headed home to get some rest and clear his head. Prentiss was glad to see them all again, apologizing profusely for not being in the country to help after Reid's surgery. "It's fine," piper kept telling her, "the phone calls were great, and the team had us taken care of."

"I've still got to visit more often," she resolved. "It's been a while."

"Well, maybe we'll get some cases that go international," Hotch smiled. "We'll have no option but to call you in, and it will give you an excuse to travel a bit more."

On the way home, Reid turned to Piper, telling her that he didn't think Cruz would be around too much. "He's a good Section Chief, but I already know Justice will be questioning his leadership after all of this. He's a bit too close to some sensitive international issues. My bet's on them transferring him."

"So soon?" Piper wondered as she drove. "He's only been here for a few months."

"That's what everyone is speculating, anyway. Hey, did Ms. Cavanaugh from nextdoor ever return that book you let her borrow?"

"Spence, you think of these things at the weirdest times," she laughed. "But yeah, she thought it was a bit dense for her. I should have known, considering I hadn't read it until I was a senior in high school… problems on quantitative analysis of DOJ studies can be a bit difficult, especially if they're written from that old statistics program we used to use." She thought for a moment, realizing, "We've got some of those certification tests coming up, don't we?"

"I think so. Garcia mentioned something about them. There's a lot we have coming up," reid shrugged. "But for now, I want to get home, see Nate, and get some sleep."


	44. Children

A.N.: Thanks for all of the reviews and messages. Y'all are one of the most interactive groups of fans ever. Seriously, they all mean so much to me!

* * *

Reid was soon out on a child abduction case, Piper moving in to her office, which was next to Garcia's. She was now officially working in research and communications, taking over JJ's old role. She would be taking most of the pressure of case presentations off of Garcia, deciding what cases the BAU would be out investigating. While she put books on the shelves and hung up posters, Garcia turned some music on, only pausing it when the team called. "Need any help in here?"

"Sure." Piper stepped down from her chair, which she had been balancing on to put some things on the top of a bookshelf. "I've got to get those boxes of files into the filing cabinet, and I want to get a couple of potted plants for the desk. We can run out for lunch tomorrow and pick some up while we're in the city."

"I just hope they get that little girl back," Garcia sighed, beginning to unbox some files. "Do you want them in date order or in alphabetical order?"

"Those are old files, so alphabetical. They're not time-sensitive. I've got the time-sensitive ones on my desk… somewhere," Piper answered from her desk, surrounded by boxes of files and office supplies. "Hey, I think your phone's ringing."

Garcia disappeared for a few minutes, returning to shake her head and tell Piper that, "They're looking for a body. They… they're going to head to the main suspect's family farm in the morning. That poor little girl, I can't believe it. She was only four."

"It can't be her. It just can't be. She's got to be safe out there, somewhere. Garcia, they have to find her safe," Piper sighed, sitting down in her chair. "You know, it's always these types of cases that are the worst. Ever since we adopted Nate, I always worried a little more about these kinds of cases, cases where little kids go missing or get killed. I always think… what would we do if it was him? What would we do if Nate went missing? I shouldn't think about it, but every time we go on a case like this… well, I can't help it."

"I've got a question for you. Something that might brighten your day a little bit," Garcia said, opening up a new box of files. "Nate's what, in first grade now?"

She pulled open one of the desk drawers, dropping a couple of things into it as she sorted through a bunch of office supplies. "Yeah, he's a few years younger than Jack, and a couple of months younger than Henry. Why?"

"Well, some of us have been talking, and we wanted to know if you two were thinking about having another mini genius," Garcia wondered, sitting down on a stack of boxes as she worked. "We were all talking about Henry and how JJ and Will wanted to have another kid, and, well, we were wondering."

"For your information, and for Morgan's, we just might. We haven't talked about it too much, but we might," Piper answered, picking up her phone. "Speak of the devil. What's up, Morgan?"

"Can you put Garcia on the phone? We need her and her research skills," Morgan said, explaining that the team needed some background information on an unsub they were looking into. "Wait, before you pass me over to her, has she asked you the question yet?"

"Yes she has," Piper told him with a laugh. "But she's not getting a real answer. Hell, Reid and I haven't talked about this in a while. Here, I'll give you to Garcia now. I'm sure she'll have a lot to analyze about what I told her." She handed the phone over to Garcia, who immediately started talking, heading into her office with Piper's cell phone.

When she returned, she tossed Piper's phone back, telling her that, "They've got a hit, They think that little girl is still alive, and they think they know who took her. Morgan says he'll remind Reid to call you soon. They better get her back. They're tracking down some sick, sick people right now."

Reid called the next afternoon to say that they had found the little girl and that she was being reunited with her mother and her soon-to-be stepfather. He would be home in time for dinner. It was one of the rare occasions that they all got a happy ending. Piper was sitting on the sofa when Reid got home, checking a few emails with a cup of tea in her hand. "Good job out there, honey. I'm glad you got her back."

"Thanks." He dropped into the seat beside her, giving his wife a kiss as he moved closer to her. "How's Nate doing?"

"He's already asleep," she told him with a yawn. "But you can go in and say goodnight anyway. When you get back, I've got something to talk over with you. Nothing bad."

He went upstairs, returning a few minutes later. "Hey, Piper, when did he get so big?"

"I know, it's incredible." She shut her laptop, turning to see that Reid had shed his jacket and was settling in to being home. "On the plane ride home, did Morgan talk to you about anything? Other than the case, I mean."

"He told me that he and Garcia had been talking, which made me think… well… Piper, do you want to have another kid?"

She sighed, saying, "We should think about it. But it would be nice for Nate to have a sibling." Piper took his hand, adding, "I don't know… after everything he's been through, it would be nice for him to have someone. I just… we should think about it, Spence."

Reid nodded, saying, "I've always thought I would have kids eventually. When we adopted Nate, I was so happy. You don't know how happy it makes me every time I come home to him. Another kid would be… amazing." He paused, adding, "But only if you really want to. It has to be difficult carrying a child, and I can't imagine-"

"I could do what JJ did, stay at the Bureau until I had to leave. And I could get a lot of writing done," she thought aloud.

"Are you sure?"

"If it happens, it happens," she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "We could try for one, if you want."

"As long as we don't let the others know we're trying," Reid proposed. "Because you know Morgan won't stop making jokes and Garcia will start buying baby clothes as soon as she even thinks we're trying."

"I'll call that a deal," Piper smiled. "Hey, did you read that email from the Director's office? I know it was just a lot of protocol stuff from Counterterrorism, but there's a lot of cool information there. I'm sure you'd enjoy some of it, and I'm sure you'll read all of it."

Reid was out on a case in Las Vegas when he gave her a call, saying that his mom had gone out on a supervised trip to the Grand Canyon. "She's never not been here when I visited… it's just weird. It's like those parent-teacher orientation things when we're up at the school and Nate isn't with us. It just feels weird."

"It's a role reversal," Piper told him, helping Nate pack his lunch for the next day. "You just feel weird because you're not used to her not being there. Like a mother's empty-nest feelings, but the other way around. At least this is a sign that she's doing better on her meds. Oh, and remember what we were talking about a few nights ago?" She was careful not to say much in front of Nate. "What Garcia and Morgan had been speculating about? Garcia's already hinting at it again. She's not going to let up until I give her an answer."

Reid laughed, saying, "Tell her we're working on it, then." She heard someone laugh in the background.

"Spencer Reid, you are not talking about this with other people there!"

"Morgan just walked in," he explained. "It's fine. I'm sure he'll get the word out to Garcia, and she'll get it to the others in no time. Have you been talking to Will about it?"

"Sort of," Piper admitted, picking Nate up and setting him on the kitchen counter so he could reach into one of the cabinets. "You know we're friends. You know we talk since… well, since our spouses are out in the field. It helps to have someone else who knows what it's like. He knows what it's like to have JJ out of town all the time and be raising Henry, and what it's like worrying about her in the field. And it helps to have another perspective on things. So I might have mentioned it to him."

"Mom, can I have some apple juice?" Nate asked, swinging his feet from the countertop. "Or grape if we're out?"

"Of course." Piper helped him down from the counter. "Want to say hi to Dad?" She handed the phone over, letting Nate talk to Reid while she grabbed the apple juice from the fridge. When she was done, Piper took the phone back, saying, "We're going to finish making lunches for tomorrow. Do you think you'll be in to have one?"

"We're looking at at least another day," Reid responded. "I'm sorry. But I'll be home in time for the weekend. Maybe we can get away from the city."

"Sounds good. I'm going to get this one ready for bed," Piper smiled, looking to Nate. "I'll call you on my way into work in the morning. Goodnight, Spence. I love you."

"I love you too," Reid said. "And I promise I'll be home soon."


	45. A Surprise

"You know this won't fix things between you two, right?" Will asked, taking a seat across from Piper at their favorite local coffee shop. The team was out on a case in Memphis, and Piper had been dying to share some news with someone. Will had called the same day, asking if she needed him to pick the kids up from school. She'd said no, that she was still in town, but that they should meet up for coffee when he was free.

"I know, I know, but we've been thinking about it for a bit. I didn't think it would be so soon, but," Piper shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. "Well, here we are. It was a bit of a shock, really, but..."

"Like I said, that's not how you're going to get over everything with what's her name… Maeve. You can't just keep building on a foundation that isn't totally solid, right? I think that's what they'd say. It'll bring you closer together, but you two still have some things to work out."

"Yeah, I know." She glanced at her phone, hoping that Reid would call soon. No, this would be a conversation to have in person. Or maybe… "But it's still good news. I know I should have said something to him as soon as I found out, but I wanted to tell him in person. I think I'm going to get the whole team in on it. I'm sure they'll figure it out, even if I don't say anything. They are profilers, you know."

Will laughed, saying, "I'll let you tell JJ, but I'm sure she's going to have some ideas for you. You've just got to keep Garcia from revealing anything."

The next morning, Piper walked into her office in the basement, setting her bag down on her desk and booting up her computer. As she went to make coffee and put her lunch in the common fridge, Garcia appeared out of thin air, stopping her as she poured a cup of coffee. "Thanks for passing along that poisoning case," she said, getting in line for coffee. "They'll be off almost as soon as they get home. And by the way, did you cut your hair?"

"No." She poured herself half a cup of coffee, thinking that she still had some in a travel mug in her office.

"New shoes?"

"No. What's up, Garcia?"

"Something seems different about you. Ooh, did you get good news on the book? Did you find another editor to look it over?" She poured herself a cup of coffee, adding in a spoonful of sugar as she waited for an answer. "Or is it a new yoga class? That last one we tried on the Mall sucked, pure and simple."

Piper sighed, leaning on the counter and lowering her voice as she answered. "Okay, you can't mention this to Spencer. I'm going to tell him when he gets home. But you've got to promise you won't mention it to him. It's something he's got to hear from me."

Garcia's eyes widened as she realized what Piper was hinting at, giving her a hug. "Oh my god, congratulations! That's... that's incredible! How long have you known?"

"I'd suspected it for a while, but I finally went to the doctor and confirmed it yesterday. She's thinking sometime in the middle of summer," Piper answered. "But you have to promise not to tell. You can tell Morgan," she added, since she knew it would happen anyway. "You can tell Morgan, but don't let him tell Spence."

"Scout's honor," Garcia nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "This is so exciting!"

"Yeah, I'll be here with you for most of it. No more heading out into the field for me, not for a while," Piper smiled as they headed back to their offices. "I've got to figure out how I'm going to tell Spence… I called his mom yesterday after my appointment and told her. I haven't mentioned anything to Nate yet, though. I figured we would wait until Spence was home for that."

"Still… we're going to have another baby brainiac… I can't believe it." Garcia's phone was ringing, Piper listening in as she answered. "Hey there, hot stuff. I've got some hot gossip for you, but I need to know you're alone. No, seriously, is Reid there? Good. He doesn't know yet, but they're going to have another kid. Yeah, I know! You can't say anything about it to him, though. Okay, well, tell Hotch it was important. What do you need?"

It was nearing the end of the day, and piper was gathering her things to head into the terrible traffic leaving the area when Garcia rolled her chair into the doorway. They had started communicating like that if it wasn't urgent, rolling their chairs into their doorways and talking from across the hall. "Hey, you might want to head up to the bullpen with me. They're just about to get back. I've been tracking their cell phones all the way home."

The two of them were in the bullpen when the rest of the team walked in, tired from their flight and ready to head home. Morgan nodded to Garcia, who was smiling like crazy. Hotch and Rossi exchanged glances with Piper, and Blake and JJ wore more subtle, but still knowing smiles. "How's it going back at home base?" Blake asked.

"Wonderful. Fantastic," Garcia answered. "Lots of good news."

"Good news?" Reid asked, looking to the two of them.

"Just that you solved the case and everyone got back safely. You know I worry," Garcia recovered quickly.

"Well, there's something else," Piper said from where she was sitting on Reid's desk. "Hey Spence, have the rest of them been acting kind of weird?"

"I profiled that something was going on, but it could have been a lot of things," Reid shrugged, giving her a kiss hello. "Or it could have been exhaustion from the case. I should have known something was actually up. So what's the surprise?"

"Well, Spencer, you know how we'd been talking about having another kid for a while, and how-"

"You're… Piper, I… that's amazing," he smiled, pulling her into a hug. He held his wife close as the others cheered, asking how long she had known and how long the team had known about it.

"Garcia told us this afternoon," Morgan confided. "Congratulations, man. You two deserve all the good things you can get."

"You're already the greatest parents, like, ever," Garcia gushed, hugging the both of them again. "Congratulations. Aagh, this is great."

The team took them out for dinner to celebrate, and the two of them finally made it home late that night, after picking Nate up from Jessica's. She had offered to pick Nate up from school that day, and had ended up picking up Henry and Jack too, since Will had come along when the team went for dinner. Piper and Reid decided not to mention anything to Nate just yet. There would be a time for it, but not yet.

As they lay in bed that night, Reid pulled his wife closer, asking how long she had known. "Not too long. I'd suspected it for a while, but I went to the doctor yesterday, and she confirmed it. She's thinking it'll be due in the middle of the summer, probably in July." She laid her head on his shoulder, adding, "You know, I still can't quite believe it. I mean, I know we'd been trying for a while, but still… this means a lot more office time and a lot less field work. I guess I'll have time to finish the book."

"Yeah, I guess you will. It's a good thing you've taken over funneling cases to the team, then. Not too much work out in the field."

"Yeah, not much of a chance I can get shot or anything in my little basement office. And I think Garcia's going to go just as crazy as she did when JJ was pregnant with Henry, so there's no way she'll let anything happen to me," Piper laughed. "Besides, give it a few months and I won't be able to run too fast."

"Can't wait to see that."

It was five in the morning when Reid's phone rang, Piper sleepily handing it to him. He listened for a few minutes, Piper falling asleep again. When he hung up, he looked over to his wife, sorry to have to wake her up. "Hey," Reid gave her a kiss, slowly getting out of bed. "I've got a case. They rushed it through the usual channels because so many people are being killed. You'll have the file on your desk when you get to work, I'm sure. I've got to get ready now, but I'll call you when we land, okay?"

"Hmm… where are you headed?" Piper asked, rolling over in bed.

"Long Beach. Arsenic poisonings."

"Oh, joy," she mumbled. "Have fun."

"I will. I love you."

"Love you too. Be careful out there." She was already asleep well before he left the room.

* * *

A.N.: Aww, how cute. But not for long, since we've got some incredible cases coming up, and all will not be well... Also, thanks for all of the reviews and messages. It makes the writing process so much better, knowing that there are appreciative readers out there!


	46. Ice Cream

Holding up different color paint chips, Piper leaned on the windowsill of what was slowly becoming the new nursery. She and Reid had been working on it when they had time, and Garcia had volunteered to help. "What do you think of this one? I know I don't want to go with pink or blue, since they're too typical. I'm thinking a nice pastel green like this one."

"I like it," Garcia answered from where she was trying to put together the crib. "Do you know what… wait, does this look like it's upside down? And do you have a bag labeled 'latch brackets' over there? And what the heck are latch brackets?"

They spent their day decorating as much as they could, finally deciding on paint colors in the mid-afternoon. They were sitting together on the floor, scrolling through decorating schemes on Piper's laptop when they heard the front door open. "Mom!" Before they could get up and close the door, Nate ran up the stairs to hug her and his Aunt Penelope. "Hi Aunt Penelope! What are you doing up here with Dad's office? Where's all the other stuff? Is that a -"

"Why don't we go get a snack," Garcia suggested, steering him out of the room as Jessica came up the stairs in his wake. "I think we've got popcorn and a bunch of other stuff. Ooh, do you still have juice boxes? I haven't had one of those in years."

"I am so sorry," Jessica said with a frown, shaking her head. "He was excited to be home and wanted to see you. He saw the cars in the driveway, and before I could... I didn't mean for him to run up here… I know you two haven't told him yet, and I wanted to give you time. I'm so sorry."

Piper closed her laptop, getting up and heading out of the room with her. "It's been long enough. We do need to tell him. It's okay. I'll talk to him in a bit." Jessica headed home, Piper going downstairs to put her laptop on charge. She found Garcia and Nate sitting at the kitchen table, munching on a bowl of popcorn and talking about what they had done in school. Garcia gave her a look as she sat down next to him, Piper nodding. "Hey, Nate, there's something Dad and I wanted to tell you. I was going to wait for him, but you're such a good investigator that I think you've figured it out already."

"Am I going to have a brother or a sister?" he asked, looking up at Piper.

"Dad and I don't know yet, but as soon as we find out, we'll let you know," she answered, grabbing a handful of popcorn for herself. "I'm going to need your help, though. Right now Aunt Penelope and I are turning Dad's old office into a room for the new baby, and I'm sure we could use your help picking out toys and all sorts of other things."

"Okay."

"I know it's a lot to process, buddy, but we're all going to go through this together. Now what's that you're working on? Let's see... science fair project instructions, ooh, nice. Any idea what you want to do?"

They spent the rest of the day like that, talking and helping Nate with homework, Garcia staying for dinner and helping get Nate to bed. Garcia stayed for a while, talking to Piper well into the night. She had just left when Piper heard the door open again. "What did you forget, Penelope?"

"Nothing," Reid answered, Piper jogging down the stairs to give him a hug. "I thought you weren't going to be in until the morning," she smiled. "I had to tell Nate about the baby myself, you know. He ran up while Penelope and I were doing some online shopping for decorations, and like the little profiler he is, he asked a bunch of questions."

"How'd he take it?" Reid wanted to know, following her upstairs.

As he got into his pajamas and went to brush his teeth, Piper told him that, "He's doing pretty well with it. I'm sure he'll have questions, but for now, he likes the idea of having a sibling. We'll see how he does later on, when we find out what we're having. And how he does after the baby's born. It's a process."

"He'll be fine," Reid assured her, brushing his teeth. "Hey, do we have any more toothpaste? We're almost out."

"Yeah, I picked some up the other day. Check under the sink." She sat on the edge of the bathtub, watching him. "Or in the closet with some of the other medical stuff."

"How do you feel?"

"Well, I'm starting to get sick in the mornings sometimes, but it's nothing terrible. It doesn't feel good in the moment, but it'll calm down after a few more weeks," she confessed, thinking of everything she'd read about what to expect. "I don't know, it's just weird thinking about the fact that I have another human growing inside me. I never thought I would have kids, let alone find someone who I would want to have kids with."

"You're so sweet," he smiled, giving her a toothpaste-y kiss.

"Spence," she laughed, "so are you." She got up to stand next to him, adding, "I'm glad you're back home. I hate not having you here for days on end. I mean, I get it, it's part of the job, but I miss you a lot."

He gave her a hug, looking up into the mirror. "Give it a few months and we can take a cute picture in the mirror like JJ and Will did."

Piper laughed, kissing his cheek. "You know, I think we're actually good at this parent thing."

"Yeah."

"You sound like you're thinking again. That's dangerous." She moved to sit down on the bed, waiting for an answer. "What's up, my favorite genius?"

Reid grabbed his glasses, sitting down next to her. "You're right. I was thinking about something the entire plane ride back. Piper, what if there's something wrong?"

"Like what?" she asked, moving closer so he could put his arm around her.

"You know how sick Mom is. What if I passed that on?"

She sighed, having anticipated that question for a while. "Spence, it'll be okay. By the time schizophrenia shows itself, they… they'll have done so much more research, so much more to help treat it. Whatever happens, we'll be there for our child, and we'll do everything we can to help them, just like you would do everything you could to help your mom. SHe called earlier, by the way. She's been checking up on the baby and I more and more often. I think she's a bit excited to be a second-time grandmother."

"I can't help but worry about everything. About the baby, about you, about what kind of dad I am. About how I have to leave all of the time."

"It's okay, Spence. You're a great dad. You make it to all of Nate's soccer games and help him with his science fair projects and all sorts of other things. He looks up to you so much. And I know you're afraid of being gone for so much, like your dad was. But I promise you, you're so much better than he was," Piper assured him. "You're a great dad already."

"I'm going to miss so much, though. I've missed enough of Nate's life, but it'll be even worse with a baby. It'll be just like what happened with Hotch and Haley. You'll be home all the time, working in that office with Garcia, and you'll have to send me videos of the baby's first steps and first words, and pictures from parties and… I don't want to end up like them. Hotch is a great guy, but I don't want that to happen."

"Then we'll make sure it won't. You're going to be just fine. I -"

He turned to her suddenly, saying, "Ten percent of cancers are attributed to genetic causes."

"Spence, take a deep breath and listen. You're freaking out about this more than I am. Okay, we're going to be fine. No matter what happens, we'll be there for this kid just like we're here for Nate, It's going to be fine." She reached over to the side of the bed, plugging in the strand of lights and turning the lamp off, leaving them in half-darkness. "It's all going to work out. We'll figure out how to handle work and a little kid. But for now, you're going to have to start figuring out how to live with a woman who craves ice cream at all hours of the day and night."

"Now?"

"Midnight ice cream sundaes?" she proposed, Reid smiling and getting out of bed.

"I'll be back in ten minutes. Whipped cream and sprinkles?" he asked from the bedroom doorway.

"And chocolate sauce," Piper laughed. "Ooh, and that peanut butter shell stuff I've been hiding from Nate. It's on top of the fridge."

"Gotcha."

"You're the best, Spence."


	47. Shots Fired

Piper was three and a half months pregnant when Reid was called out to Texas, flying in to consult on a case where prostitutes had been killed and cut up after they had died. Piper wished him well, saying goodbye over the phone. He was already on the way to the airstrip when he called, Piper in her office reading through stacks upon stacks of time-sensitive case files. She had just hung up with him when she decided to go get an early lunch, since she had an appointment in the city that would take up part of her lunch hour. "Garcia, I'm running out for lunch!" she called into the hallway. "Want to come with?"

"We need walkie-talkies. Or radios," Garcia called back, grabbing her purse and locking the door to her office. "It'll be just like all those spy shows, except we're actually pretty much spies. What do you have a taste for?"

"Let's head down to that Thai place in Maryland. It's close to where I'm heading after lunch."

"Another doctor's appointment?"

"Yeah," Piper confirmed as they waited for the elevator. "It's right in the range where we could get the first clear ultrasound -"

"And I'll find out if I'm having a niece or a nephew?" Garcia finished as they got on the elevator.

"Yes, you'll find out. You don't have to come with me," Piper laughed as they went upstairs. Garcia was the first to find out, going with Piper to the doctor, but she had promised to keep her lips sealed until Reid was home. This time, though, she had promised not to tell anyone, Morgan included.

She had been considering calling Reid and telling him what she had found out, but she figured it could wait until he got home. He could always do with some good news after a case, especially if the body count was growing quickly. She'd told Nate, taking him out for ice cream to celebrate both the good news and him having all A's on his latest report card. If Piper was completely honest, she had just been craving ice cream, and would have taken him even if it was a normal day. But she would never tell Nate that.

Piper's phone rang just as she was getting ready for bed. "Hey, Morgan, how's it going?"

"Reid's been shot. Grazed. The bullet just grazed his neck but," he cut off, stopping to say something to Reid before coming back to her. "He's bleeding pretty bad. I got nicked on the shoulder, but it took a decent chunk of flesh out of him."

"Piper-" She could hear Reid's voice, weak but persistent.

"He's been asking for you ever since he could speak," Morgan told her. "I'm gonna put the phone up to his ear for a minute. I can't let him talk for long. We're almost at the hospital. I'll keep you updated."

"I'm on my way," she said, getting out of bed and grabbing a bag from the hall closet, stuffing it with clothes as Morgan handed the phone over to Reid.

"Piper."

"Spence, honey, I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as I can get a jet. I'll strongarm Cruz into letting me fly out there if I have to. I promise I'll be there as soon as I can. You're going to be okay, but you need to keep fighting while I'm in the air."

"I love you," he rasped, the sirens in the background growing louder.

She swallowed, trying not to let the fear and uncertainty creep up in her voice as she wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "I love you too. I'll be there soon."

Morgan took the phone back, telling Piper that he and the rest of the team would keep her updated and that Garcia was on the way to pick her up right now. As soon as he hung up, Piper went into Nate's room, waking him up and grabbing some clothes for him, saying, "We're going to take a trip to visit your dad. He needs us there with him right now."

"For the case? Wait, me too?"

"You think you can help with the case?" she asked, trying to smile.

Nate smiled, jumping out of bed and going to change. "Yeah!"

"Then he'll need your help more than he'll need anyone else. And you can go in your pajamas and sleep on the plane. We have to leave as soon as we can."

"Mom, you sound scared," Nate observed as he grabbed Mr. Pig, his favorite stuffed animal. "Is something wrong?"

"I am scared. It's a scary job a lot of the time, what Dad and I do. But it's going to be okay," she said, half for him and half to reassure herself. "It's all going to be okay."

Garcia was at their door moments later, the two of them jumping into the car and racing across town to pick up Cruz, who had ordered a jet to be ready as soon as they reached the airstrip. "It'll be a three-hour flight," Piper thought aloud from the back seat. Nate had fallen asleep on her lap as they made their way through the relatively quiet night traffic. "Add drive times to the airstrip and to the hospital and subtract the lack of traffic in the middle of the night and we're up to four hours…"

"He'll be alright," Garcia assured her as she drove, taking a turn a bit too quickly. "He has to be."

Cruz picked Nate up, carrying him onto the plane as he slept. He would be asleep through almost the entire flight, while Piper paced as much as she could. When her legs started to hurt, she sat down and talked to Garcia, their conversation flying back and forth a mile a minute, full of fear and worry and the stress of not knowing what was happening on the ground. Cruz himself had tried to sleep, but he couldn't, eventually joining them as they worried over Reid, assuring Piper that their BAU family would be there for their family, no matter what happened. Morgan called in a few times, just to say that he was in surgery, that he was still in surgery, and yet again, that he was in surgery. And that they were giving him lots of blood. "It looks like he's going to be okay," Morgan told them in the last phone call before they landed. "They just finished sewing him up. Two centimeters over and he would have practically been dead on impact."

"Derek Morgan, we do not need to know that right now," Garcia swore as they disembarked. "Especially not her, not now. We'll be there in thirty."

It was only when they got into the car and were on the way to the hospital that Piper filled Nate in on what had happened, saying, "Dad's been hurt pretty badly. He's going to be okay, but he needs us here for him. We might not get to see him tonight, but we're going to make sure he's okay."

They rushed through security and up to the trauma area to find Blake sitting in a waiting room, wringing her hands. "They won't let us see him yet." She stood as they walked in, giving Piper and Nate a hug. "The rest of the team is in with Morgan."

"Hey, Nate, why don't we go see Uncle Derek? He's right down the hall. We'll be right back," Garcia suggested, taking his hand and following Cruz down the hall so Blake and Piper could talk.

"It should have been me," Blake sighed as Piper sat down. "I was right there. A few inches over and it would have been me. He's so young, and he has you and Nate, and a baby on the way… he has so much ahead of him. He doesn't deserve this."

"Neither do you," Piper assured her, taking her hand. "You're an amazing person, Alex. You're a brilliant profiler and an even better friend. You've done so much for Spence and I already."

"While I was sitting there with him, trying to get the bleeding to slow down, all he would say was that he wanted to talk to you. Morgan says that's all he told him in the ambulance too," Blake confessed. "After you talked to him, he didn't say much, but that you were on the way and that he wanted to see you, just that, over and over again. He loves you so much, Piper."

JJ appeared behind them, sitting down and saying, "Nate's in there showing everyone some of the magic tricks Spence taught him. He's going to be a hit on the trauma ward for sure."

"How's Morgan doing?"

"He'll be fine after a day or so. He's all stitched up," JJ filled her in. "He's going to be up and walking in the morning, I'm sure. Ried, not so much. They say he's going to be here for at least three days, and then there's more recuperation time at home. Hotch will have him grounded for a while. I'm sure Blake told you how lucky he got."

Piper nodded. "Another few centimeters over, right?"

"Yeah. I'm sure they'll let you in soon. I think they're just waiting for him to wake up and start talking. You know all he would talk about was you?" JJ responded, standing up again. "I can't sit for too long or I'll go crazy. Do you two want coffee or anything? I've got to go do something."

"I'm good," Piper said, "but thanks. I think I'm going to stay here for now. I'll visit Morgan in a bit, if they don't come and get me." She ended up in Morgan's room twenty minutes later, since she had gotten bored and worried at the same time, which was never a good mix. The waiting room was empty aside from her, which hadn't helped either.

"Hey there," Morgan smiled, sitting up to give her a hug as she walked in. Nate was perched at the edge of his bed, showing them a card trick he had mastered recently. "You missed part of the show. You've got a master magician on your hands."

"I did? Well, I'm sure Nate here will be able to do them again to keep his dad entertained. I'll see them then," she assured him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm ready to get up and find the people who did this, but they're not letting me," Morgan told her. "Hotch wants to sedate me."

"I should," Hotch nodded from where he was sitting with Rossi. "Just so you don't go hunting them down without the rest of us."

"I have half a mind to do it myself," Piper agreed. "Hunt them down, not sedate you. I'd take you with me, Derek," she clarified as a nurse stepped into the room.

The entire room turned to the nurse as she asked, "Mrs. Reid?"

"Yes?"

"You can see your husband now."

"Thank you." Piper looked to Nate, saying, "Can you stay here with everybody for a little bit? I'm sure Dad would like to see you, but I'm going to see if he's actually awake first."

"Okay." He was back to showing the team some card tricks almost as soon as Piper stepped out of the room.

She followed the nurse down the hallway, taking a few turns before the nurse stopped, pointing her towards a room. "He's still heavily sedated, but he keeps asking for you. That's the first thing he said when he woke up, 'Where's Piper?''

"Thank you." Piper walked in, her heart catching in her throat as she saw how bandaged up her husband was. "Hi, Spence." She took his hand, leaning in to give him a kiss. "How are you feeling?"

"You came," he smiled. "You flew out… all the way from home. It's so late…"

"Yeah, it's nearly three in the morning," she told him, sitting down on the side of the bed. As she ran a hand through his hair, she filled him in on everything that had happened. "Morgan called and told me. Garcia, Cruz, Nate, and I flew out here as soon as we could get a plane. We've been sitting with everyone else in Morgan's room for a bit. He got hit in the shoulder - just grazed, really - but he's going to be out in the morning, probably around lunch time. He's been trying to figure out how you were doing for a while. Spence, you scared me so much."

"I'm gonna be okay, I promise," he said, squeezing her hand. "Hey, do we have any Jell-O? I need something."

"Yeah. All they have is cherry for now." She grabbed some from the table next to the bed. "You had me so worried. Ever since Morgan called, I couldn't settle down. I couldn't think right, I couldn't sit, I couldn't do anything. Every time something even close to this happens, it scares the hell out of me. But I know you, and I know you're always going to fight. There's no way you're going to leave your wife, your son, and your daughter alone."

"Daughter?" Reid smiled, putting his hand on her stomach. "We're going to have a daughter?'

"Yeah. I was going to tell you when you got home, but here we are," she shrugged. "But yeah, I went to the doctor the other day. It's a girl."


	48. Lockdown

"You brought all your Doctor Who stuff," Nate laughed, watching Garcia set things up on the table next to Reid's bed.

"We've got to make it look nicer in here, right?" she smiled, Piper looking up from the book she had been reading. Reid had fallen asleep, the three of them sitting there keeping each other company. The rest of the team was working on the actual case, but Garcia and Piper had set up their laptops in the room and were awaiting further instructions. Nate would run between Reid's room and Morgan's, but when Morgan was discharged in the morning, he stayed with Piper, alternatively reading and exploring the hospital with Garcia.

They would take turns walking around with him, visiting the Children's Ward and making friends with all of the kids there. Nate's teachers had emailed all of the work he was missing, and he would work on things while Piper went through case files, marking some of them to come back to later. Garcia would run information back and forth, getting the team what they needed. It was when she reappeared with Nate after they had only been gone for a few minutes that Piper got worried. "Wake him up, we've got to go."

Piper set down her file, looking suspicious. "What? Penelope -"

"We don't have time right now. I'll explain on the way, but we've got to commit a crime right now."

"Uh, okay." She set her files aside, shaking Reid's shoulder. "Hey, Spence, I'm not too sure what's up, but we've got to get out of here for a bit." A moment later, they were all headed down the hall, the fire alarm blaring. Garcia had pulled the alarm after she'd cut the surveillance feed from the hall, calling Hotch to tell them what they were up to.

"Like half of the police force here is trying to kill us," Garcia explained once they were safely outside. "They said they were looking for one person, which is why we've been overlooking how heavily involved they were from the beginning. I thought they were just concerned… there's a deputy who walked in and was on his way to kill my brilliant boy, so we had to cause a distraction."

Piper instinctively rested a hand on her gun, looking over the crowd. "Where is he?"

"I don't see him. I think he's gone. Oh my god, we've got to watch him until he's out of here," Garcia realized, scanning the crowd.

"You know he's right here," Reid chipped in.

"Well you know they're hunting federal agents," Piper added, finally relaxing when she was sure the deputy was gone. She set her hand on his shoulder protectively, Nate standing next to her. "I'll be right here, and I know Garcia's not leaving us, so we'll just switch off shifts, I guess. And I'm going to assume we can't trust any of the police, since we can't tell who's who."

Reid sighed, closing his eyes for a second. "I can't believe all of this, Pipes. Can't I go a year or two without something like this happening?"

She shook her head, saying, "It comes with the job, I guess. But we'll keep in contact with the others, and you've got a protective detail here." She glanced at Nate, who was looking over the crowd.

They headed back inside soon afterwards, Reid falling asleep again as the others started playing cards. Garcia was teaching Nate how to play poker, letting Piper sleep for a bit. They had agreed to take turns sitting up, just in case something happened. Piper was curled up in a chair while Nate and Garcia had stolen the bedside table, using pennies as poker chips. Their game lasted until Nate got sleepy, Garcia giving him the more comfortable of the chairs they had stolen from a waiting room down the hall.

Around eleven, a nurse walked in carrying a syringe, Reid waking up as Garcia was explaining that he had already had all the injections that he needed for the time being. "I can't have carbenicillin. I'm highly allergic," Reid protested, waking Piper up

"He's right. It's in the chart you didn't bother to read." She sat up slowly, looking at the nurse harshly.

"Look, it's for the best, ma'am," the nurse shook his head, adding, "besides, I've had enough medical training to know an antibiotic when I see one."

"And I've had enough training to know an imposter when I see one. Back away from my husband and we won't have to fight about this. It won't be pretty if you don't." She was slowly reaching for the gun in her jacket pocket, which she had draped over the side of the chair.

"Lady, it's not in the chart."

"He'll go into anaphylactic shock if you try to give him that, if you manage to -"

It was too late. The nurse had plunged the syringe into the IV line, Reid ripping it out of his arm immediately. Before he had even gotten the needle out, there was a gunshot, Garcia staring in disbelief as Nate woke up because of the commotion."Oh my god, I just… Piper, I'm shaking. That was so much more… When do my ears stop ringing? You people do this for a living? I think I killed him… oh my-"

"Penelope, come here," Piper instructed, getting her to sit next to Nate, who was looking over curiously. "Make sure he doesn't-'

"See. Yes, yes, I can do that. I can do that. Nate, let's, uh, let's move." Garcia took him by the hand, steering the boy out of the room as Piper blocked the body from view. When they were gone, Piper turned to the man in the nurse's uniform as real nurses and doctors ran over. She checked his pulse, seeing that it was thready but still there.

"That bitch…" The man was reaching for his stomach, but Piper got there first, stepping on the gunshot wound. "Get off me!"

"That's at least attempted murder," she hissed, grinding the heel of her boot into his wound. "I'm sure ms. Garcia will be able to dig up more for them to charge you with, if you manage to survive this."

"Ma'am, we need to get him into surgery," one of the attendants said, trying to get Piper to move.

"Fine." She stepped on his wound once more, finally letting the nurses load him onto a stretcher. "But take your time clearing an OR. And tell the surgeon to take their time scrubbing in. I'm sure he'll be fine." In reality, the man was going to be executed for his crimes. He wouldn't be fine at all, but he would make it out of surgery alive. But for now, all she could think of was what a close call they had just had, and of how these people were serious in their desire to kill the federal agents around them. "Spence, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I got the IV line out before he even got close." Piper took his hand, looking at her husband with concern. "I'm fine. I don't think he will be, though. I hate to admit it, but that was kind of, I don't know, badass."

"Thanks, babe. No one does something like that to you without having to deal with me. And Garcia, apparently." She squeezed his hand, giving him a kiss and saying, "I'm going to go check on Garcia, now that I mention it. She's pretty shaken up."

"Go ahead. I'll be fine, I promise."

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes." She stopped at the door, turning back to add, "I love you."

"I love you too," Reid smiled, still looking exhausted.

Garcia was incredibly shaken up. She'd taken Nate down to the cafeteria, and while he was eating some ice cream (the crew members closing the cafeteria had gotten used to the boy and his mother, or the boy and his aunt, coming in right before they closed, and had always given him extra ice cream, since they had to switch out the containers in the freezer), she was quietly freaking out. "Hey." Piper sat down next to them. "How's the ice cream? Rocky road, right?"

"Yeah," Nate smiled, covered in chocolate.

"Piper, I shot a guy," Garcia said, turning to her. "I shot a guy, and he's down in surgery, and my ears just stopped ringing, and he… he was bleeding out on that floor…"

"You saved Spence's life," Piper told her. "As wrong as it sounds to say it, you did the right thing. No matter what happens, you saved your friend, and that's what matters."

"I need a nap. Or a drink. Definitely a drink."

They headed home a few days later, the team having resolved the case and Reid being cleared to fly back to DC. As soon as they got back, Reid took up a spot in his favorite armchair, tired from traveling all day. Piper went to make coffee and start some laundry, but she came back when someone started knocking on the door. Blake had come to visit, telling them that she was hanging up her badge and returning to teaching full-time. The case had brought up a lot of bad memories for her, and she wasn't ready to continue in the field. She sat up talking with them for a while, saying that she would still come to visit and that if they ever needed anything, not to be afraid to ask.

That night, Piper was getting into bed when Reid looked over to her, saying, "I didn't think… when I got shot, I didn't think I'd ever do this again. That's what I was thinking about as I was laying there in the parking lot. I could hear Balke talking to me, but I could also see… a lot of things."

"What do you mean, Spence?" she asked, kissing his cheek before she plugged in the strand of lights they kept on every night.

"I saw… my mom, some of the happier times we had when I was a kid. And the day I met you. You walking down the aisle at our wedding. The day we adopted Nate, his first soccer game, the day you told me about," he smiled, putting his hand on her stomach, "about her. The last thing I remember before I passed out was being warm, like the feeling you get when you're wrapped in blankets and laying in bed. It was warm, and I know it was Blake talking, trying to call people over, but I could've sworn it was you. Like one of those nights we stayed up talking in a hotel, or here. It didn't hurt, it just… I knew I was dying then."

"But you didn't, and that's what matters," Piper reminded him.

"I know, but I could have. It's just weird to think about, I guess. They say your life flashes before your eyes-"

"Actually, when most people are dying they think of things that make them feel better, things that give them comfort in their last moments, before their cognitive functions slow and the memories slowly fade out."

"Well that's delightful."

"It's the truth," Piper shrugged. "But I'm glad I have you back. You scared the hell out of me, you know? The entire plane ride there, I don't think I sat still for more than two or three minutes at a time."

"I'm just glad I'm not in a hospital bed," Reid confessed. "And that I have you here. It's just good to be home."


	49. Greg Baylor

"SSA Kate Callahan," the woman smiled, shaking Piper's hand. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

"It's a girl," Piper told her, trying to profile the new agent. She'd read her file, of course - eight years with the Bureau working in Sex Crimes as an undercover agent, a background in psychology, a husband named Chris, and a niece she was caring for, but all of that was the file. Then there was the background Garcia had scrounged up, but it didn't tell her too much besides what she already knew. "We're still thinking of names. We've got time… a little less than five months, if she's on time."

"Congratulations," Kate smiled. "Between you and your husband, I'm sure she'll have all the looks and the brains you could ever want."

"Thank you. Have fun on your case. And make sure my husband doesn't get himself shot again, will you?" Piper laughed, grabbing a stack of files. "I've got to get back down to my office. I'm trying to get a filing system in place well before I have her, and since we haven't had someone doing this job full-time for a while, it's taking me ages just to get the backlog of cases into the computer. It's been crazy, and having this one kick me every so often isn't helping. Welcome to the team, Agent Callahan."

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you," she smiled, heading towards the bullpen. "I'll keep you updated on the case."

Piper went downstairs, saying good morning to Garcia, who was waiting in her office, freaking out. "I'm going to an execution," she told Piper quietly. "I'm going to an execution. Piper, Hotch told me I need to go to Texas to see the execution."

"Baylor?"

"You're still welcome to come with me. Please say you'll come with me. Please."

"Garcia, you know I have a lot of work here," Piper sighed, sitting down in her chair and looking over the stack of files that she had just added to. "I've got to get this under control -"

"You've got four months for that. You've also got the chance to witness the execution of the man who tried to kill your husband," Garcia reasoned, jumping up from her seat on the desk. "Please, you've got to come with me. I need someone there. I've tried everything, and I know killing him won't bring back the people he killed, and it won't help Reid, but you've got to come with me. And you can't tell him."

Piper sighed, taking a sip of her coffee. "You know, this'll probably be the last time I can fly anywhere before I pop."

"Please, you've got to come with me."

"I'll stay late tonight and get things done around here. We fly out tomorrow, right?" She opened a file, spreading it out on the desk.

"Oh, good! I've already got your ticket." Garcia headed to her office, returning with her laptop. "I'm going to get some work done over in the corner. I won't be in your way, I promise. But I need you to wake me up if I start falling asleep, okay?"

"Gotcha." Piper took her glasses off, reading and making notes on the file. She moved on, going through a large portion of the pile before they took a break for lunch. When they got back, she started indexing the files that had been backlogged, trying to get everything into the system. It was a lot of work, but she managed to get most of it done before dinner time.

"You've got to get something to eat," Garcia told her. "I'm going to go for Chinese. Do you want me to pick you up anything?"

"Yeah, that would be great. Just get me the usual," Piper answered from behind a pile of files. Garcia had written her an indexing program that mirrored the FBI's database and could pull from it, which allowed her to compute what cases would be top-priority and what cases they could differ to local police departments or field offices. "Thanks."

"Not a problem," Garcia sighed, shaking her head. Piper had hardly moved all day, and she had to drag her out of her den for lunch. She would most likely be there late into the night, go home, pack, and show up at the airport in the morning, running on almost no sleep. Deciding that she would force Piper to go home, even if she had to pick her up, put her in her car, and drive her there. She ended up persuading her to leave, promising her that she could work on the plane. But it was still late when they left the Bureau together, driving home in the middle of the night.

Piper sent Jessica a text, saying that she was going to need her to watch Nate and Chester for a few more days. She would be traveling to Texas, but not for a case. It was official Bureau business. She stayed up late packing, trying to decide what to wear to an execution. She had been to them before, but every time, it was difficult, and every time, she questioned if what she was wearing was the right thing, if how she acted was right, if she was doing anything wrong. Reid called to say goodnight, Piper telling him that she and Garcia were lying out on business the next day, but not specifying that they were going to see the execution of the man who had almost killed him.

They flew out the next morning, Garcia still freaking out about what was going to happen. She wanted more than anything to see Baylor and apologize, but he had refused to see her until that night. Piper was scheduled to see him the morning of his execution, so she stayed in the hotel room, working.

It reminded her a lot of being out in the field - sitting there on her laptop at the tiny table in the hotel room, working on case files while the TV played in the background, something about history or alien conspiracy theories or old reruns gave her something to listen to, something to distract from all of the blood she was looking at. But there was no Reid sitting on the bed, pouring over a book. She had gotten him on of those e-readers for his birthday, since he went through books so quickly. Surprisingly, he had embraced the technology and had spent hours reading already. But she missed him, and she missed seeing him sitting in bed while they were on a case. _I should give him a call. Shit, it's nearly one in the morning. And you've got to be at the prison at ten. The execution is scheduled for right after lunch._

Her phone went off just as she shut down her laptop, Piper smiling when she saw it was her husband. "Hey, you're up late."

"You're up late too," he answered with a yawn.

"What's up?" She put him on speaker as she got ready for bed, going to brush her teeth as he talked.

"I had a dream… one of those dreams again, about being shot. I woke up with this searing pain in my neck," he explained. "I'm used to them now, but I… I went back to sleep, and I had another dream about being in that hospital, about dying from anaphylactic shock. I could hardly breathe when I woke up from that one, and I knew… I knew I had to talk to you. Tell me something about your day, anything. How's Texas?"

"It's hot. It's Texas," she shrugged, turning the volume down on the TV. "Garcia's gone to, uh -"

"I know why you're there," Reid told her with a sigh. "You're there for the execution. I've been following Greg Baylor's case, and they expedited everything after he admitted to killing other people. You don't have to cover for it."

"You've got me," Piper admitted, sitting down on the bed. "She wanted me to come with her. She needs closure, and she needs someone there with her."

"And so do you."

She was quiet for a moment, finally telling him, "I do. I almost saw my husband die twice in one day. That's enough for anyone… Look, I'll be fine, Spence."

"I bet Mandy'll be proud of you, though. She would say it was some sort of step on the way to healing," Reid said, making her laugh a bit. "Besides, you need this."

"That dream, though-"

"Dreams are just mental processing-"

"But what would Freud say?" Piper joked. "You're going to be okay, Spence. I know you hate the dreams, but they're a good thing. A step on the way to healing, right?"

"Right. I still wish you were here with me, though," he told her. "It's so much easier waking up from dreams like this when I can roll over and have you right there. I know it's only been two days, but I miss you. I miss you every time I have to fly out."

"Now that's a step on the way to healing," Piper told him. "I promise I'll stay up and talk about dreams and everything else when you get home. Well, when we both get home."

"I've got to get some sleep for this case, but I'll call you tomorrow after everything's over," Reid promised. "I love you."

"I love you too." Piper went to sleep, only rolling out of bed when her alarm went off and she had to get to the prison. It was stressful getting through security, and she was marched down a long hallway before she could think of what to say. Her mind went blank as she stepped into the visitation room, which had been cleared out except for Baylor.

He sat chained to his chair, his hands folded as he waited. Piper sat down silently, looking across the table at him. She too waited, not wanting the be the one who made the first move. Piper had been in plenty of interview rooms with killers like this before, but this one was different. "I know you. The woman who came to visit me before you said that she was trying to stop all of this. What about you?" Baylor asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I'm not here to help you," she told him flatly. "You tried to kill my husband, and there's no way I could help you after that. You deserve this, Baylor. I'm not here to argue otherwise."

"Then why are you here?"

"What did it feel like?" Piper asked, leaning on the table. "What did it feel like, watching them die?"

"What am I supposed to tell you, that it felt good? I'll tell you it felt good, smile like a shark, and what, you'll put me in that book you were working on?" he scoffed. "You think I want that?"

She pursed her lips, saying, "I wonder if it'll feel different for the doctors. You know, when they put that syringe into your arm. Do you think it'll feel different from putting a syringe into someone and trying to kill them in the hospital? Does state-sanctioned killing feel the same? Probably not, since I don't know a whole lot of potential serial killers who became legal executioners instead."

"You really must hate me, don't you?"

"I do," she nodded. "It's hard not to. But I wanted to tell you some things before they do to you what you tried to do to my husband."

"You've been saying a lot of things already."

"Listen, I hate you, that's for sure. But I want you to know that I'm not going to get any pleasure out of this. I know what you tried to do to Spencer wasn't the worst of what you did, and I know that's not why they're going to execute you. But I had to come and see the man who did all of this."

"Like some kind of animal?"

"If you want to see it that way," she answered as she stood. "I just wanted to say that we're moving past it, Spence and I. We can never move past it, but we can accept it. We can start moving on, and we'll keep moving on for the rest of our lives. We can't forget any of this, but I wanted to tell you that we've forgiven you." She left the room without another word, Baylor staring after her.

Only a few hours later, she sat with Garcia, watching Baylor take his last breaths. Garcia started crying, but Piper just sat there, holding her hand and making eye contact with Baylor the entire time. She watched as the light faded from his eyes, as he finally closed them and his hands went limp on the arms of the chair he had been propped up in. She said nothing as the witnesses filed out, while Garcia drove back to the hotel, while Garcia chattered away about getting dinner and making their flight home. She said little the entire way back to DC.

 _He's dead, but I feel nothing different. This isn't fixing anything. At least you know he can't hurt anyone else. Spence is okay, and Greg Baylor can't hurt anyone else. He can't hurt anyone else. There are still tons of other people out there like him. 50-60 active serial killers at a time, right? No, don't think about them now._

Piper set her bag down in the front hall, Chester racing to see her. It was night time, so the lights were turned down, but there was no mistaking the shadowy figure who sat in his usual chair, reading while he waited for her to get home. "Hey." Reid set down his e-reader and stood up, coming to give her a hug. "How are you holding up?"

"I don't feel anything different, and I don't know why. I want to feel better about it, now that he's dead, but I can't… Spence, I don't get it."

"It's okay," he promised, holding her tightly. "One step at a time, right?"


	50. Sophia

A.N.: Here's a cute chapter, something good that you can all enjoy before all sorts of other things go down. I'm plotting out a lot, especially as we near the end of Season 10. Also, thanks for all of the reviews and messages you all have sent me. They're great, and it makes writing so much more worth it!

* * *

It was a day like any other at the BAU, with the team out on a case in Virginia, only a little while away. Garcia was at her computer station, working away, rolling her chair into the hall to talk to Piper every time she found something interesting or had a question she needed cross-referenced. Piper herself was hard at work. Having gotten her new filing system up and running, she'd indexed hundreds of cases and was screening even more when she realized something felt different. _You've still got like a week and a half. That's well within the average time... No, not any more. Nope, it's today. Stop ignoring it or you won't make it there in time. Garcia. Get Garcia. Garcia's got to drive. There's no way you'll be able to._ She took a deep breath, keeping her voice level. "Hey, Garcia, come here a sec."

Garcia jumped up from her computer immediately, running across the hall. "Is it time?" She'd been thinking about this for weeks, knowing that she would most likely be the one there when Piper started going into labor.

"I think so." She put a hand to her stomach, looking up at the technical analyst, who was standing there in shock. "I think we should probably go now. Yeah, we need to go now."

Garcia was trying to keep herself from freaking out as she grabbed her purse and Piper's. "Oh my god, we've got to call Rossi and Hotch, and Reid, of course, and…"

"Penelope," Piper stopped her abruptly as they made their way into the hallway, locking their doors behind them, "let's go."

"How long have you been waiting to tell me?" Garcia asked as they commandeered an elevator, Garcia pushing her way through a group of other agents, telling them they would have to deliver a baby in a boardroom if they didn't move.

"Not too long. Just half an hour or so. I had to finish that file."

"You're ridiculous." Garcia drove quickly, calling Reid while they were on the way to the hospital. "Your wife is giving birth in my car," she began, turning onto another street. "Don't worry, though, I've got this. Just thought you should know." She hung up, telling Piper, "He's on the way, probably driving faster than I am. How are you not freaking out about this? I'm kind of freaking out about this."

"I'll be freaking out in another half hour or so," Piper replied. "I think that's going to be when I'll really need some good drugs. Wait, make that fifteen minutes."

"Well, Spence is on his way, and we're almost there. Give me five more minutes. Three, if I can get off on the next exit. Okay, here we go."

They made it to the hospital in three minutes, like Garcia had predicted, and were quickly led up to the maternity ward. "She's still in early labor," Garcia was telling one of the nurses, who had come to check on them. "I drove as fast as I could."

"Not any more," Piper responded, looking to the nurse. "My… my contractions are too close for the early stages. I… yeah," she sighed, "yeah, it's not early labor any more." The nurse nodded, checking her IV line. "I'll get a doctor in here. Do you know if you were born quickly?"

"My parents died when I was a kid," Piper admitted, watching a few more nurses file in, rushing to wash their hands and pull on pairs of gloves. "I've been told it didn't take her too long to have me, but I don't know for sure. I… I think it didn't take too long. This doesn't feel like it's taking too long. Oh my god…" Garcia took her hand, knowing there wasn't too much she could do while the nurse ran to get the nearest doctor. It would be a little while before they could do anything other than give her painkillers, Garcia keeping her company as her contractions got closer and more intense. "How long until Spence is here?"

"Not too long," Garcia answered, checking her phone. "I've got him tracked to fifteen minutes outside of the city. Give him twenty and he'll be up here. How are you feeling?"

"It hurts," Piper answered, taking a deep breath. "You know, everything you'd expect."

"I don't know anything about this, but -"

"It's fine, just don't leave me until Spence gets here."

"Not a problem," Garcia nodded. "It'll be just a little while before Reid's here. He knows a whole lot more about this than I do."

"He does?" Piper asked, looking over to Garcia and trying to distract herself. _Keep yourself distracted and you won't feel the pain as much. You've got to focus on something else._

"Yeah. He read - he memorized - this whole book on childbirth when JJ was pregnant with Henry, just in case she went into labor early, and I'm sure he's done a lot more research since then. Knowing Reid, he's probably better qualified than half of the nurses here."

It was nearly forty-five minutes later when Reid ran in, apologizing profusely. "There was an accident on the Roosevelt Bridge and it took ages to even get over to the side to try to-"

"Thank goodness you're here," Garcia gasped, moving through the crowd of nurses to hug Reid. "She's been waiting for you. She-"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, she's right here and she feels like she's dying," Piper said through gritted teeth. "Get over here, Spence."

Reid wormed his way through the group around Piper's bed, taking her hand and kissing the top of her head. "Hey. How are you?"

"Three minutes apart and oh my god…" She paused for a minute, her grip on his hand tightening like a vice. "Make that two and a half. Garcia, you don't have to stay if you don't want to. I know you don't like blood."

"Okay, I... I'll be right down the hall," Garcia assured them as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door, turning back to say, "You've got this."

"Thanks." Piper watched as Garcia left the room, hurrying away to look at all of the newborns down the hall instead of looking at all of the blood that was to come. "It's got to be almost time, right?"

Her doctor nodded, saying something about how they were going to give her more painkillers and that it would get a lot worse soon, so be prepared. Piper looked to Reid, who was right next to her and not planning on budging any time soon. "Hey, you still look incredibly beautiful. I mean, for being stuck in a hospital, going through what you're going through, what you're about to go through, you still look amazing."

"Thanks. Can you take my glasses and set them on that table there? Yeah. And please, Spence, this is the only time I'll ever tell you this, but," she paused again, her grip on his hand tightening for a little while. "No… no facts about how long labor takes, or complications, or anything like that. I just don't want to hear them right now, okay? Just... don't scare me with them."

"Of course," he promised.

She took a deep breath, telling him, "Spencer… I'm going to need you to talk to me. I have to focus on something… something other than this. I can't… oh god, don't make me…"

"Okay, here we go," her doctor smiled, pulling on a fresh pair of gloves. She was one of the sweetest women Piper had ever met, and she'd been talking with her and visiting her ever since she found out she was pregnant, but all Piper wanted to do was scream at her, to tell her that she knew it was time to start pushing, that she didn't need to be told that and that _I need more damn painkillers. Shit, they'll max out if they give me any more. Shit. Oh, fuck, here it comes, first one… focus on Spence._

"Hey, hey, look at me. Focus on me, remember?" Reid was doing his best to keep her calm and distracted, holding on to her and even though it felt like she was ready to break his fingers. "What do you want to talk about? The case is going pretty well. We think we're going to have an arrest by tomorrow, but everyone's saying they want to expedite the warrant so they can get back here by tonight, if the baby's born by then."

"She better be born by then," Piper told him, gritting her teeth and trying to remember to breathe. _I'd rather get shot again than have to do this. Yeah, I think the gunshot wound was better. Definitely better._

"I know what we can focus on. We already know what we're going to call her, but she still needs a middle name," Reid proposed, seeing how white his wife's knuckles had grown and how red her face was turning. _Keep her distracted. You've got to keep her distracted._ "I know we'd talked about 'Diane' or 'Diana', like my mom, or 'Ann' like yours, but I had another idea that I think you'll like."

"Enlighten me. Spence, I feel like I'm giving birth to a bowling ball."

"That's normal," one of the nurses assured her, turning back to the doctor. "Pushing ten more CCs of Fentanyl in just a second, right after I check the line again."

"Reid," Garcia called from the door a little while later. "Come here a sec." Reid stood, promising Piper that he would be right back before stopping to talk to Garcia. "I know I can't do blood, and I know I'm distracting you, but how's she doing? I've been out here for like two hours already."

"About as well as expected," Reid shrugged, listening to the organized chaos going on in the room behind him. "I have no idea how much longer you'll be waiting out there."

"Well, the team called and said they're heading out to interview the unsub and most likely make an arrest," she reported. "They also said they want pictures of the three of you if the baby's born before they get here. Oh, and Jessica says she'll keep Nate and Chester for as long as you two need. Can you tell me her name yet? Please? Piper refuses to say any-"

"Spencer Reid, get back here!"

"Gotta go," he told Garcia, disappearing into the crowd of nurses as Garcia went back to the waiting room, calling the team and giving them an update. "Sorry, Pipes. Garcia says the team's all cheering for you."

"Yeah, that's not much help right now."

"I see part of a head. That should be a bit more help," the doctor offered, Piper rolling her eyes. "We're almost there."

"Yeah, sure, that's great," Piper groaned, taking Reid's hand back. "How long do I have now? And did Garcia really say she's been waiting out there for two hours?"

"It's been more like two and a half, almost three," Reid confided, keeping his eyes on her as she tried to focus on their conversation. "But yeah, it's really been that long. The sun's going to start setting soon. I can have one of the nurses open the blinds, if you want to see it."

"I'm good," she promised, trying to smile. "I'd rather the whole world not have to see this."

"Fair enough, I wouldn't want the rest of the hospital watching either. You've already got a small army in here. But you're doing great, babe."

"Thanks, Spence. I can't believe… I can't believe we… we're actually having her. All of that 'it's a miracle' bullshit doesn't stack up to this."

"I know you told me no spewing facts, but you'll like this one. Most women actually forget a lot of the pain of giving birth afterwards because of the rush of neurochemicals they get once they actually see their baby," he said, glancing over at the doctor, who nodded. "So you'll feel a whole lot better once this is over. It won't be too much longer."

"You know, everyone's been… promising that, but… I've been here for what, five hours all together? I know a lot of women take that long, but… shit, Spence, this is taking forever."

"You've got me right here. Just focus on that. And try to remember to breathe."

"I am breathing!"

It took almost another hour, but their baby was born without any complications, the doctor smiling and announcing, "She looks perfectly healthy. And you're doing great, even if it doesn't feel like it."

"We're going to weigh and measure her and then we'll be right back," one of the nurses promised, picking the little girl up in a blanket. "Congratulations, Dr. and Dr. Reid."

Piper took a deep breath, laying back on the stack of pillows that she had been given. "You did great," Reid smiled, giving her a kiss. "Every time you go through something like this, every time you get shot at, every time you bring in another criminal, it always amazes me how strong you are."

"Thanks, Spence."

"You're already an incredible mom. I'm sure she'll see the same thing Nate and I do."

"And you're an incredible dad," she smiled as the nurse handed their daughter back.

"She's got her mom's eyes for sure," the nurse told them. "I can take some pictures of you three, if you want."

"I sure hope her eyes are better than mine," Piper beamed, the nurse taking a picture of the three of them together, Piper and Reid taking turns holding the baby. "You're right, though. She's got your nose, Spence."

The rest of the team got there a few hours later, driving in from Virginia as quickly as they could after making an arrest. Piper and the baby were sleeping, Reid just sitting there watching the two of them, holding his daughter. He couldn't stop smiling, seeing how beautiful she was already. He could tell that she was going to take after Piper, but her hair was darker like his. There was a soft knock on the door, Garcia leading the rest of the team in as quietly as she could. Piper yawned, opening her eyes and immediately telling them, "Hey, everybody. I'm sorry I look like crap, but I just gave birth, so I think I'm allowed that at least."

"Ah, you look fine," Kate laughed, taking up a spot next to her bed. "You look better than I did when I got out of my first day of tactical training. You've got such a cute little girl."

Reid passed their daughter over to Piper as Hotch and Rossi went to shake his hand, Morgan giving him a hug. "Look at that, she's got her looks and your brains," Morgan laughed. "She's going to be a great kid."

"Yeah. She's got an incredible family," JJ smiled, standing next to Piper to get a better look.

"Thanks." Piper looked up at the team, saying, "Reid and I have something to tell you all. Well, something to ask and something to tell. Spence?"

"We were thinking a whole lot about who to ask to be godparents," Reid began. "I know the entire team's going to be incredibly involved in her life, but we did a lot of talking today, and before, and, well, Morgan, you're like a brother to me. Do you want to be the godfather?"

"Of course, man," he smiled, Piper letting him hold his new goddaughter as JJ took a few pictures, promising that she would send them to everyone later. "I'd be honored."

"And that means there's only one logical conclusion for who to name as the godmother. I mean, who else would go best with the charismatic Derek Morgan?" She turned to look at Garcia, who was already crying.

"Me? Oh my god, I… She's going to be the most spoiled little girl in all of DC." She made her way over to Morgan's side, holding her goddaughter and beaming. "Now will you tell me what you decided to name her?"

"You've been keeping it a secret from a team of profilers. That must have been difficult," Hotch nodded. "Especially with Garcia hovering over you all of the time."

"They didn't say anything about it over texts or the Internet. Not even to Reid's mom," Garcia added, thinking of all the research she had done when Piper and Reid were out on cases. It had filled up her down time for a while, checking their Internet histories and phone records, anything she could think of. "I checked. I should have tried intercepting their mail."

"That's because we didn't want anyone to know until now," Reid laughed. "We had to keep it a secret."

"Well come on, what's her name?" JJ asked again.

"Sophia," Piper answered, smiling at Morgan and Garcia, who were still absorbed in watching the little girl in their arms. "Sophia Penelope Reid."


	51. Come Home

Piper sat in her office at home, the study she had commandeered from Reid long before a lot of things had happened. She was working on her book, watching Sophia sleep in the swing she had set up earlier. The little girl was now nearly four and a half months old, and had quickly come to love and be loved by the BAU team. "You know you should be getting some rest," Reid said, leaning on the doorframe. He was standing there with two coffee cups, one of which he handed to her as he came to sit on the corner of the desk. "She's been getting a whole lot of rest, but you haven't. I'm pretty sure the doctor said both of you need to rest."

"Dr. Stoilkova doesn't know what it's like being an FBI agent. We can get through a lot more with a lot less," she responded, finally looking away from her laptop. "Besides, it's been months, and it's only 11 o'clock."

"It's more like midnight. How's our girl doing?"

"She's been sleeping for a bit. Woke up half an hour ago, but I got her changed and back to bed. You know, I don't think I should be telling her stories about the cases we've worked and the serial killers I've talked to, but she's still too young to understand."

Reid smiled, getting up to give her a kiss. "I love you. But you need some rest. She's keeping you up a lot."

"You too," Piper argued. "I've got this."

"You look exhausted. Come on, you can finish editing in the morning," Reid argued, massaging her shoulders. "I'm going to head to bed, and I'd like to fall asleep next to you. You've been staying up later than I have for a while now. I know you just want to get the book over and done with and move on, but please, Piper, just this once."

"Okay," she sighed, shutting her computer off and picking Sophia up, carrying her to her room and laying her in the crib as gently as she could. Piper and Reid stood there for a few minutes, watching their daughter sleep. Piper went to kiss Nate goodnight, seeing that he was sleeping soundly, before going to bed herself. "Hey, Spence?"

"Yeah?" he asked, rolling over in bed to watch as she brushed her teeth and took off her makeup.

"Have you talked to your mom lately?"

"Not in a while, but we've been writing back and forth like we usually do," he answered. "Why?"

"I called the other day, and… well, it might have just been an off day, but she's been forgetting a few things that I would assume she would remember. And you know they changed her meds. I just wondered if you'd checked in lately."

"I'll talk to her tomorrow," Reid yawned as Piper got into bed. "I should give her a call anyway. I'm sure it was just a bad day." He was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Piper?"

"Hmm?" She turned to face him, giving her husband a kiss.

"I wish I could spend more time at home with you and the kids."

"I wish I could too. I'm always at the office, and I hate leaving them with Jessica all the time, but it's part of the job, isn't it? It'll be fine, though. Nate's old enough to understand what we do requires that we be away sometimes, and Sophia will come to understand it. Henry's done fine with it. I'm sure Sophia will do the same."

"I just don't want to miss holidays and birthdays like Hotch has to. You saw what it did to Haley."

"We won't let that happen, now will we?" Piper asked, giving him a kiss. "I'm just glad that I get to keep you here for a little while, anyway. I hate having you fly out so much. But you do come home with cool stories, and Garcia and I can watch you all anyway."

Reid flew out the next morning on a case in Salt Lake City. Piper drove him to the airstrip after dropping Nate off at school and leaving Sophia with Jessica. She stopped to wish the team good luck, telling them to call when they landed. She met Garcia for coffee, and the two of them took off for Quantico together, thinking they would get as much of a profile up and running as they could before the team landed. "You two are such an amazing couple," Garcia sighed, seeing the photo of their wedding on Piper's desk. "Seriously, you haven't had a fight in like… years. And you're always checking up on each other when you're apart, and you get each other gifts all the time, and… I wish I had a relationship like yours."

"Mmm, no you don't," Piper answered her from her desk as she logged into her computer. "We haven't had a fight in a long time because every time we disagree, we work it out, since he's still afraid that I'm mad about Maeve and that any little argument will get turned into a big one. He's not wrong, I'm still mad, and I'm still disappointed, but I'm not going to leave him over her if we have a tiny argument. We check up on each other because we're so afraid that something bad will happen, since we've already been shot and kidnapped and all sorts of thing so many times. And we give each other gifts randomly because - well, I find stuff online and think he'll like it, and I don't want to wait for a birthday or Christmas. Small presents like that make him happy. And he knows the same thing. He just wants to keep me happy, pretty much."

"Well that doesn't sound good. Never mind, then."

"We still love each other, it's just… when you've been with someone for that long, you learn about how they think and how to keep them happy. It's one of those things, I guess. You just learn to live with each other, forgive the small things, and either deal with or sublimate the bigger ones," Piper explained as her phone rang. "Speak of the devil. Hey, Spence. What's up?"

"We're going to need some information, and I figured I'd call you, since Garcia's got to be right there with you," Reid reasoned from the plane. "She usually spends the first ten or fifteen minutes in your office while you check your email and wait for the coffee maker."

Garcia laughed, thinking that he was right. "Well, you've got me, Boy Wonder. What do you need?"

"Any more information you can get on the security guard and the couple that were killed," Reid told her. "Travel records, anyone they had in common, traffic tickets, dig up whatever you can on these people."

"Baby girl, we're thinking it could turn into a spree. We need anything you can get us," Morgan said from in the background.

"You're on speaker, by the way," Reid added.

"Gotcha, Chocolate Thunder," she smiled, heading for the door, "I'll call you back in a bit."

"Be careful, all of you," Piper warned as she hung up. Looking to Garcia, she told her, "I'd look into the places they lived and worked. I'm sure there's got to be a connection. The couple liked expensive things, from what you've told me about their credit history. And the security guard's building was full of bankers and attorneys. There's got to be some sort of connection."

"I'm on it," Garcia nodded, moving across the hall to start working.

Piper went through her email, sorting things out as she went. She received dozens of requests every day that she had to go through and decide what to pass along to the team, and dozens of forwarded case files from other departments, asking if she could take a look at them. Most of the time, she would look at them herself and send back a rough profile, many of which helped. Besides, the ten minutes it took her to read through the file, do a bit of research, and reply to the other department saved a lot of the team's time and kept the rest of the Bureau happy. Then there were all the files on her desk to go through, which had been shipped in from lots of places. Sometimes she would even find files in her mailbox, things others had decided to pass on to the BAU that were too difficult or too strange for anyone else.

She worked through lunch, finally grabbing a bite to eat around 2 PM. She could hear Garcia's phone ringing from across the hall every hour or two, one of her snappy hellos and a flurry of information coming over the phone. It was almost dinner time when Garcia appeared in the doorway of Piper's office, asking, "Do you want to go to that Mexican place outside of the city? And what do you know about Amelia Porter?"

"Amelia Porter, that woman who helped her boyfriend rape and murder his sister while she was high? She disappeared into the woods. Her last known whereabouts are somewhere in Canada," Piper said, standing up and grabbing her purse as she logged out of her computer. "Does she have something to do with the case?"

"She has everything to do with the case," Garcia filled her in as they headed for the elevator. "Her old lover is the one who killed those people, and he's kidnapped his sister's kids. Well, he's still got one of them."

"He's planning on killing her?" They swiped their cards to get into the parking garage, looking around for Piper's car.

"That's what the team's thinking." Garcia climbed into the passenger's seat, Piper handing her her purse as she buckled her seatbelt. "They're trying to track them across the desert."

Reid called that night, while Piper was getting ready for bed. "Hey, you. When are oyu coming back home?"

"We're flying out in the morning. We managed to get our guy before he killed anyone else, even if one of the kids did get shot. You heard about that, right?"

"Yeah, Kate told me when she called earlier." Piper was checked that she had locked all of the doors, heading back upstairs to make sure Nate was sleeping. There was a light on in his room, Piper finding him poring over a book in his bed. "Excuse me, Mister, you need to put that book away."

"Moooom."

"Moooom nothing," she smiled, Reid laughing on the other end of the call. "You need to get to sleep, Nate. You've got to be up for school in the morning. I know it's a good book. I read it myself, when I was your age. But you need to rest. Want to say goodnight to your day while I check on Sophie?"

She let Nate talk to Reid while she went to look in on her daughter, seeing that she was sleeping soundly. When she came back, she took her phone, holding it to her chest for a moment while she said goodnight to Nate, telling him that he needed to get some rest. She turned off the lights, closing the door and talking to Reid as she went into their room. "Will invited us over for dinner," she told him, plugging in the strand of lights that they always kept on at night. "When you and JJ get back. I think he's trying to keep her distracted. It's almost the anniversary of her kidnapping, and he doesn't want her to think of it, or of anything she went through in Afghanistan."

"You know, I'm so thankful that… well, it sounds awful to say, but I'm thankful that you don't remember any of what happened to you. I mean, being shot is one thing, but being kidnapped and tortured is a completely different animal."

Piper looked around, seeing the soft glow of the string of lights that they had hung up, the furniture that they had bought together, the side of the bed that Reid occupied when he was home. The pile of books that was always on the nightstand. The baby monitor that had been set up on top of it, the spot Reid would always set his glasses when they went to bed. All of that, the entire life they had built together, based on half-truths. There were things she could never tell him - how she was so afraid that Hotch and Rossi would show up on her doorstep one day, shaking their heads. It would more realistically be a phone call, or another agent showing up at the door with a piece of paper for her to read, but it would kill her all the same. How she would wake up with her old scars burning, dreaming about being shot. How she remembered flashes of what it had been like in that cellar, how she remembered everything up to certain points, and then she would wake up in a different place. How the drug had slowly worn off the last time, how she had realized that she was about to try to kill the rest of the team. How she remembered Reid talking her down, bringing her back to reality as the hold of the drugs took off. Every time she thought of things like that, of every similar situation she had been in, all of the relative safety of her life crumbled in on itself, her world whirling out of control. But she could never tell him. He'd been through so much himself. "Piper?"

"Yeah, sorry. I - Chester just tried to jump up here," she said, "and you know he can't reach the bed, no matter how hard he tries."

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Spence. Just tired."

"Okay. I should probably let you sleep, then. Goodnight, Pipes. I love you."

"I love you too, Spence." She hung up, plugging her phone in and pausing, smiling slightly at the thought of him coming home, setting his go-bag down by the door and giving her a hug. Nate and Chester running up, Reid picking his son up and asking how things had been. Or he'd take Sophia from Piper, carrying her around with him as he unpacked, putting things into the washing machine and grabbing a cup of coffee or something to eat. They'd spend forever talking about the case in bed, falling asleep together. Piper would always smile, pulling Reid closer to her and hoping that she wouldn't have to let go of him any time soon. But for now, all she could do was think of him, of having him back soon.


	52. Nelson's Sparrow

Piper was in her office one night, working away at her laptop when Reid came in. "Hey, babe, I'll be in bed in a sec, I just want to-"

"Grab your coat and get in the car. I've already got Sophie in her carrier and Nate's getting his things together now. We've got to drop them off at Jessica's. I already called her too. I just need you to get ready."

"What's wrong, Spence?" She looked up from her computer, seeing that he was struggling to hold himself together. Piper stood, giving him a hug as he held on to her for dear life. "What's happening? Is someone coming after us?"

"Gideon's dead," he said, sniffling into her hair. "We need to… we need to get to his cabin." He said nothing else on the drive there, Piper running in to drop the kids off with Jessica. When they finally got to the cabin, the rest of the team was already there, standing around a body. They looked over to Piper and Reid as they walked in, offering a few nods and grim expressions.

"Are you sure it's him?" Piper asked, looking down at the sheet on the floor.

"It's Gideon," Hotch nodded gravely. Garcia burst into tears again, JJ shaking her head and giving her a hug. Reid turned and headed outside as Morgan looked to Piper, who followed in his wake.

She found her husband sitting on the steps, his head in his hands. "I haven't talked to him in a while. The last time… I was telling him about Sophia. It's been over six months now. I… he left me a letter when he left the BAU." The words all came streaming out at once, Piper putting her arms around him as he talked. "I think it was because he knew about my dad. About how he just packed up and left. He felt… like he owed me an explanation. He's - was - one of the biggest mentors…"

"I know, Spence." Piper leaned on him a bit, promising that, "We're going to find out who did this. And we're going to make sure they get what's coming to them. I swear, we'll hunt him down across the world if we have to."

Reid nodded, taking a deep breath. "Before we do that, can we stay here a bit longer?"

"However long we need," she said, glancing into the window, seeing that Hotch was looking out, checking up on them. "However long we need."

They rejoined the group, who was split between looking up Gideon's credit card history and going through evidence the killer had left behind - footprints, a lack of shell casings. "We're going to need someone to head over to the morgue," Hotch directed, his voice hollow. "We're going to need the autopsy reports. They're processing him immediately, so it should be just a few hours."

"We'll go," Reid volunteered, looking to Piper. In the end, Morgan came with them, keeping them company on the quiet car ride there. Piper drove, not saying much other than asking for directions when they got into town.

"He didn't suffer," the medical examiner told them as they walked in, handing copies of the autopsy reports to Morgan. "He was gone within a fraction of a second."

"Could you give us a minute?" Piper asked, looking over to her. The medical examiner nodded, leaving the three of them alone with the body. Piper looked to her husband, her eyes growing as red as his were. Both of them started to cry again as she reached out for his hand. "We're gonna find him."

"We will," Morgan vowed. He looked to the both of them, adding, "But you two have got to promise to be here. Don't give me that look, Piper. I know you two. I've known you for a long time, and when things like this happen, you don't always share what you're feeling. But we can't get through this like that. We've got to be honest. We're family, and that means being there for each other. Now I'm going to head outside and ask the ME a couple of things. When you're ready, we're going to hunt this guy down."

"I can't believe it," Piper finally said, breaking the silence of the icy room. "I know I hadn't talked to him in a bit, but I can't believe he's gone."

Reid nodded, not meeting her eye. "Garcia said he stopped in Roanoke even though he was speeding home. What if he had met someone there?"

"It's an idea, Spence, but we're standing in the morgue."

"We have ideas in the morgue all the time."

"Not in that hollow tone of voice, not when it's our friend lying there," she insisted, putting her arms around him. "Not when all I can think of is… is walking in on my first case and having him make sure I felt welcome. All the times we met up after he left, how he would write, or call and ask about Nate. I wish he could've met Sophia. I wish I could have… Spencer…"

"I know." He held her tightly for a few minutes, the two of them finally meeting Morgan outside once they had collected themselves again. Back at the cabin, they split up, Reid heading off to investigate BAU archives with Rossi, Piper and Morgan helping the others start a profile and canvas the woods for evidence.

It hadn't been long when Kate called them back in, saying that Rossi had found something. The team gathered around Hotch's phone, listening as Rossi filled them in. "Back in 1978, we had a case that went cold, and I think Gideon finally realized something and was back on it again. The unsub was strangling 20-something brunettes. Look for a mention of dead birds."

"We've got a 50-something woman, possibly strangled in Roanoke. No dead birds. Probably not your guy."

"He could have been checking it out, trying to see if there was a connection."

"50-something would have been in her 20s then," Garcia said. "Maybe he's been holding her for a while."

"She was the one he was looking for, until she wasn't," JJ nodded, looking to the others. "And now that she's gone, he's going to keep hunting and killing until he finds another one."

"We'll meet you in Roanoke," Hotch told Rossi, hanging up and addressing the team. "Garcia, JJ, Piper, you're here on forensics. The rest of you, with me."

Piper pulled her jacket on, texting Reid a "Good luck. I love you." before heading outside, grabbing a pair of gloves from the box that Forensics had left on the front porch. She spent the next few hours hunting for evidence in the woods, looking for additional bullets in trees, canvassing the outside of the house, anything and everything that she could do to pull any more evidence from the area. She could hardly feel her hands anymore when JJ called her in, saying that she and Garcia were making hot chocolate and that she needed to defrost. Besides, there were updates on the case.

"The body they found was a girl who went missing years ago," JJ told her as she handed over a mug. "She had symptoms of malnutrition and calluses like she had spent years crawling around somewhere. They're thinking she's one of the girls he kidnapped."

"We've got an hour until I can get the case files over here, so come in, warm up, and dig in. We found some ice cream in the freezer," Garcia said from her position sitting on the floor with her computer on her lap. "Oh, hey… missing woman from Roanoke."

"I'll call Hotch," JJ nodded, taking out her phone.

Hotch had news of his own - they were looking for a bird-watcher, someone who was good at picking out details, someone who had been in the area and knew who to target. Gideon had been singled out by him, since he wasn't a local, and the unsub knew what he was looking for. "Let me see, I've got the girl tracked down to the supermarket where she worked right out of high school, before she disappeared," Garcia reported. "And let's try… there's one of the bird group… that name sounds familiar. Okay, I've got a Gertie Mallick, with a relative… Donald Mallick, who spends so much money on bird food that you need to check it out."

"He's been replacing people, keeping them like birds," Piper wondered aloud as Garcia sent the address over to Hotch and the rest of the team. "Cool. Well, not cool, but interesting."

They hung up, trying to do more research and playing a waiting game. Piper's things were all on her laptop or in her office, so she couldn't screen more case files. JJ kept her company while Garcia worked on digging up more information. Looking out the window, Piper remarked, "I can understand why he liked it up here. I had an aunt with a house in the woods in Maryland. It was always so nice and peaceful out there. Watching the seasons change and everything... "

"It's nice out here. I'd like it too, if I wasn't so used to the city," JJ agreed.

"They're there," Garcia reported, checking the locations on the team's cell phones. "We should have some news soon."

They did get news soon - the team was on the way home, they had rescued a missing woman, and the unsub was dead. There wasn't much more news, but they knew that the team would have a whole lot to say when they got back. In reality, though, they wouldn't say much, splitting up after agreeing that they had done a good day's work. Piper drove home, holding Reid's hand as she navigated the nearly-empty streets at night. They had agreed to pick up the kids in the morning, since they were exhausted and were in no shape to explain what had happened.

Reid dropped down onto the bed, untying his shoes as Piper got into the shower. He was still in the same spot when she got out. "Spence, there's still plenty of hot water. Don't give me that look. You need a shower. You've been up for almost a day, driving all over the county and tromping through the woods. Don't forget to check for ticks."

"Piper -"

"I'm serious," she smiled as she grabbed her pajamas from the closet. "I'll go through your hair when you're done, if you comb through mine. Look, we can talk later, okay? I'll make some tea or something."

As Reid jumped in the shower, Piper went downstairs, making tea for both of them and answering a message from Garcia, saying that they had gotten home fine and were getting ready for bed. She agreed to help with the funeral plans, telling her to get some rest in the meantime. Heading back upstairs, Piper found Reid in his pajamas, standing in front of the mirror. "I look like I haven't slept in months."

"You never sleep regular hours. And you always look like that. Don't worry, I think it's cute. It makes you my Spencer, and I love having my Spencer with me," she smiled, handing him a cup of tea. "Come sit down with me. Well, take your contacts out and then come sit down with me." He obliged, putting his glasses on while she plugged in the strand of lights that they kept on every night before crawling into bed with her.

"I wish I could have said goodbye," Reid began, shaking his head. "AT least play one more game of chess with him, introduce him to Sophie. I wish…"

"There's so much more that I wish we could have done. I never thanked him properly for introducing us," Piper sighed, curling up next to him as Reid put his arm around her. "I never thanked him well enough for giving me away at our wedding… I can't believe…"

He nodded, taking a sip of his tea. "He hated goodbyes."

"I know. He… he created so many 'hello's. I mean, he welcomed a ton of people to the team, he introduced us, he helped us meet Nate… I'm sorry, I'm just talking," Piper shook her head. "I'm just talking and I have no idea what I'm saying. I'm exhausted and I have no idea what I'm saying. Spence, I just -"

"I know." He sighed, holding her close and thinking of how grateful he was to have her and the kids. How lucky he was. How he could lose them at any time, just like they had lost Gideon. "I know. I love you, Pipes."

* * *

A.N.: I missed Gideon while he was gone, which is why I brought him back for the wedding. And then when I found out he died... I know we hadn't seen him in a while, but it was still sad, especially seeing what it did to the rest of the team.


	53. Riot

"Liberty, Texas," Reid said, walking into Piper's office. She had been working like crazy, a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold sitting next to her computer as she was immersed in files, making pile after pile on her desk, on the chair across from it, on the edges of the bookshelves behind her. "Wheels up in 30."

"What? Sorry, babe." She put her glasses back on, looking up at him. "What about Texas?"

Reid pursed his lips, regarding her skeptically. "Have you slept at all in the last three days?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "Hardly. You were out of town, and Nate had a project, and Sophie had a fever, and Chester's been driving me crazy. Then I got this box of files that some idiot hadn't forwarded to me, so all of these cases are behind, which means I've got to cross-reference them with everything in VICAP, in case something new's come up. And if it has, it moves up in priority and -"

"You need a nap. You have to take a break," he insisted, picking up a pile of files and sitting down on her desk. "If it was me, and it has been before, you would tell me to sleep. You'd drug me if you had to."

"I would," she smiled. "Every time I close my eyes, I see that funeral. Every time… I can't sleep, Spence. I see him every time. I dream that it's our wedding and we… he's laying in the middle of the aisle under that sheet, and there's so much blood."

Reid moved to give her a hug, saying, "If it makes you feel better, we've got two murdered security guards at a prison in Liberty, Texas. Nothing on the cameras, and no one knows anything. It's a federal penitentiary. Half of the 2,241 inmates are in for violent crimes."

"Sounds good to me. When do you fly out?"

"We fly out in 30. Grab your go bag. We're going to prison."

"What do you mean? I've got so much work here, Spence. And the kids… I've got to think about them too. Nate's presentation is tomorrow and Sophie's still sick."

"Jessica's taking care of everything," Reid promised, picking up her coffee cup, knowing that she would leave it there for a few days if he didn't grab it. "Hotch says you can do a bunch of your work on the plane, and you're not going to be working with us. He thought it would be a good idea if you came with, since there are plenty of prisoners there you might want to interview. You'll be with us, but not really working with us. They said you can get set up near the router and the main office will be yours."

She sighed, putting her head in her hands. "Okay, I'm going to try to take pictures of as many of these as I can, and I'll get Garcia to scan in the rest. Let me know when we're driving out."

Piper was on the plane for fifteen minutes before she fell asleep, Reid letting her lay on his lap. "Cute," Kate remarked, sitting down across from them with a cup of coffee.

Reid smiled a bit, running a hand through his wife's hair as he tucked her glasses into his coat pocket. "She hasn't slept in days. Nate's been having her help him with a project, and Sophie's been sick. She's getting better, but I had to drag Piper away with the promise of serial killer interviews and the like. I'm surprised she didn't crash on the way to the plane."

"You two are still cute," JJ smiled.

As they landed, Reid shook Piper's shoulder, his wife sitting up quickly and saying, "I slept through the whole thing? Shit, I have so much work to do, I was supposed to get ahead on it…"

"It's okay, Pipes," he assured her, kissing her cheek. "Remember, you've got murderers waiting for you."

"So do you."

Piper set up in the main office, taking a room the size of a large closet as her workspace and trying to get as much WiFi as she could from the weak signal. Meanwhile, the others were conducting interviews of prisoners who seemed to know things, or who seemed like they were hiding things. They would pull someone into an interview room, Piper pulling other people into a smaller interview room, the prisoners not knowing which FBI project they would be on.

She was also running faxes for the team, so she would often be interrupted by the beeping of the fax machine as Garcia sen in information and she had to borrow a radio to track the team down. On one of these missions, she ran into Reid in the hall, who told her, "Someone else just got killed in a shower. I've memorized all of the case files, so we don't need anything on him, but I figured I'd let you know."

"Isn't the whole prison on lockdown? Why is there anyone out of their cells?"

"It's been on lockdown for hours," he nodded, taking to pile of faxes from her. "Someone's got privileges. Or keys."

"That's three now… so we've got a serial killer walking around inside of a maximum security prison that's on lockdown?" she asked. "Who would have special privileges while they're all on lockdown? Spence, do you think it could be a guard? Or at least part of the team is a guard?"

"That's what I'm thinking," he confessed in a whisper. "Pipes, if it is one of them, we've got to be careful who we talk to and how loud we talk. They can't know, since we're literally trapped in here, if you think about it."

"You're sounding pretty paranoid, Spence." She gave him a hug, whispering, "We'll be careful. Just please don't let them catch you looking into things." She stepped back, raising her voice to say, "Be careful. I love you."

"I love you too. And you be careful."

"What do I have to worry about?" A lot, as it turned out. Piper was in A Block, in the interrogation room next to Morgan and Kate's, when she heard the door open, three prisoners rushing in. She'd just finished with an interview, the man she had been talking to having left a few minutes before. "I'm a federal agent," she warned them as they burst in. "I wouldn't advise doing anything."

"Piper!" Kate yelled from the other room, Piper knowing that they had gotten to her and Morgan too. _Do it. You know what you have to do._ She reached into her belt, taking out her gun.

"I told you I'm a federal agent. Now put your hands up," she instructed calmly. "Put your hands up, and -"

"Lady, there aren't enough bullets in that thing for the amount of people we got out there."

"You might be right, but gunshots bring a lot more attention in a prison than yelling does," she reasoned, the men staying by the door. "And I hate to brag, but I'm pretty good. I could take you all in one shot if I really wanted to."

"Good luck with that." One of them moved towards her, Piper hitting him in the chest.

"Either of you two want to try?" She heard footsteps in the hallway, someone yelling to get down. Uniformed agents ran in, subduing the prisoners immediately as Piper holstered her gun. "Thank you." As they marched out, she heard another set of footsteps, someone running and trying to get through the squad of agents. Reid wormed his way though the group and into the room as Piper stood over the man she had shot. "I could have killed you, you know," she told the man. "But I'm going to leave you here bleeding for the medical team. And you're going to tell the others what I did to you, what it means to try to hurt federal agents - well, you will once you get out of solitary. You'll get a lot more time in here, too."

"Pipes, I'm so glad -" Piper turned around, giving Reid a hug. "There's no way I would've let them kill me. I've still got you and the kids to worry about, now don't I?"

"That your girl?" the prisoner asked, clutching his chest as the first of the medical team came in.

"That she is," Reid smiled, putting his arm around her waist. "She's brilliant and she's a crack shot. Didn't I get lucky?"

"Let's go, Spence. This guy needs to get stitched up, and I need a cup of coffee. And the rest of my files. Are Morgan and Kate okay?"

"They're fine," he told her, walking down the hall. "A bit beat up, but they're fine. I think you're going to have to stop your interviews, though. A group of the guards started this fight club, and it turned deadly. They kept killing people off so they wouldn't get caught, and the prisoners took some of them into their own hands."

Piper nodded, turning in to the main office, where Rossi and Hotch were talking to the others. "They're probably going to see a big turnover in the people working here," Hotch said, Rossi nodding in agreement. "The guards who were involved are all being transferred to cells in the local jail while they figure out what to do with them and write up charges. Piper, I'm sorry you didn't get too many interviews in, but when a riot breaks out, everything goes out the window. I'm sure they'd like us out of here, but I'm equally sure I can get you back in. Just give it a couple of months."

"Thanks," she nodded, holding Reid's hand. He could still feel her fingers shaking a bit, having just shot someone. They split into two cars, heading for the jet and talking about what they were going to do with their day off. Piper leaned her head on Reid's shoulder in the back of the SUV, not letting go of his hand.

"Are you okay?" he whispered as JJ and Kate were talking about running out for groceries and all of the other errands they had to get done.

"I'm fine. No, I'm not. I shot a man in cold blood, Spence. I know I could have knocked him out, but I shot him."

"Pipes, you knew there was no way you would have fought the three of them and the men right outside the door. Not on your own. You did what you had to do," he said. "We all have to do things like that sometimes."

"That's not what scares me. What scares me is… you know how Hotch says we carry a bit of every case with us, and that it's hard to ever be unaffected? Spence, I don't feel anything."

"You're in shock. It's all hitting you now," he explained as they pulled up to the airstrip. "You're in shock, and you've hardly slept. You're running on coffee and sandwiches, and I doubt you've eaten all of the lunches you pack. Besides, you're still keyed up from the interviews. I know they stress you out, even if you don't show it. I hate to profile you, but there's a lot that you don't say. You've told me yourself - you can't do that, just get quiet and not tell people how you're doing. There's a lot of things you don't say, and I know you write about them -"

"If you've been in that box of journals -"

"No, it's just that I can tell when something's bothering you," Reid assured her as they got onto the plane, taking seats next to each other near the back. "And something's bothering you. You need sleep and real food. Come here. Lay down like you did on the way here. C'mon. I'll wake you up when we get home."

* * *

A.N.: I'm going to apologize in advance if I'm not updating regularly over the next few days. We've got a giant hurricane barreling towards us here in Florida, so I've got no idea if/when I'll have WiFi. I'll try my best to keep updating, but I'll definitely be writing during the storm. Stay safe, loves!


	54. The Russian Connection

A.N.: I liked this case a lot! It was a really fun episode to try and follow. Also, I had a brilliant idea to work in to the next few chapters, so I hope you enjoy the storm I'm brewing for the Reids. (P.S., there's a car alarm going off outside annoying the heck out of me, so I'm watching a lot of CM trying to block the noise out)(haha, storm puns as I get ready for a massive hurricane).

* * *

"Kate's pregnant!" Garcia announced, running over to Piper's office. Piper had just checked in, rolling out of bed at 2:15 in the morning at Hotch's insistence. The wife of a Congressman had been kidnapped, and all of DC was on high alert, so the BAU had to be ready.

"That's great," Piper smiled, getting up to grab her cup of coffee before following Garcia into the briefing room.

The group had already started talking when they came in. "Sophie Troy's not officially a missing person yet, but the Director asked us to handle this," Hotch was saying. "Her husband wasn't too high-profile. It's his first term, but this is something that needs our attention before it gets too big."

"He had views that made him unpopular with both sides," JJ said, looking at her tablet as Piper sat down next to her husband, looking over his printout of the case file. "Could someone be trying to influence him?"

"She vanished from the Library of Congress lobby," Garcia added, pulling up the surveillance tapes as Hotch's phone chimed.

"The Congressman's here," he announced, heading for the door. "I'm going to talk to him while the rest of you work the usual angles. And Piper, we're on an information lockdown."

While Hotch was gone, Garcia managed to establish that the "surveillance footage" was from a month before, someone hacking in and replacing it in advance of the abduction. It had been organized, probably well thought-out. "But motivation, that's what we've got to get. It could have been a whole lot of people," Piper observed, looking at reviews of the Congressman on her tablet. "I'll start working on tracking down some of the biggest candidates, pun not really all that intended, if you want to work victimology, geographics, getting the rest of the family into protective custody, all that." She stood up, taking over a whiteboard and starting to make a list. "Organized crime, oil companies against that anti-fracking bill he's working on, terror groups. I'll get ahold of Organized Crime and Terror. They might have something already."

Reid pinned up a map of DC, getting to work on plotting out Sophie Troy's last known movements, with the help of Garcia triangulating all of her cell phone calls in the last 24 hours. JJ, Morgan, and Kate had begun rifling through the family's personal lives, and Rossi went to talk to Hotch about getting the Congressman and his family into protective custody. Garcia had left for her office, but had called upstairs and was on speaker, coordinating information with everyone else.

"Organized Crime might have something," Piper announced a little while later, hanging up from a call with the other division. Rossi assured her that he would look into it while she dealt with the people over in Terror and those investigating the big oil companies the Congressman was at odds with.

As the sun rose, they established clear links with a Russian crime group. Reid was dispatched to talk to Agent Loker, who was running surveillance, while Piper was running back and forth between the BAU and Organized Crime. She was never really given the press liaison job, but had adopted most of the functions. While Garcia presented cases most of the time, Piper dealt with the media attention and screened cases. She also had to be the liaison with other departments, so she was always the one they sent running around. "You've got to talk to the media. This got leaked," Hotch told her as she reappeared in the BAU bullpen, fresh from a run to the Organized Crime office. "We need to release a statement before this gets blown up even further."

"I'm on it," she promised. "I'll put something together as soon as I get this file down to everyone. We should still be able to make the morning news."

"Perfect. Keep me updated."

As Piper stepped onto an official FBI platform a few minutes later, JJ, Hotch, and Rossi weren't tuned in to what she was about to say. They were watching a ransom video, one that a messenger would tell Piper about right before she went onstage in front of reporters from all the major news networks. Reid was monitoring the holdout of the Russian crime group's men with Agent Loker, the TV muted in the background as they watched and waited. He turned up the volume slightly, seeing that Piper was about to start speaking. He knew that it was part of her job, but he was always proud to see her up there, talking to what seemed like the entire country, always calm and collected even if the investigation was falling apart in the offices behind her.

"My name is Dr. Piper Reid, an official press liaison for the FBI. From here on out, all questions will be directed to me, as not to distract the agents working this case. Yesterday afternoon, Sophie Troy, wife of Congressman Benjamin Troy, was kidnapped as she was on her way home from lunch with her husband in the District. We were notified early this morning after local police made the decision to expand the search and involve federal law enforcement. As of this time, we have multiple departments looking into the disappearance of Mrs. Troy and working to ensure her safe return as quickly as possible. We would like to appeal to anyone with information about Mrs. Troy to come forward. We are not taking questions at this time, but you will all be provided with my contact information and can get ahold of our office individually, as not to jeopardize any of the agents with sensitive information in this room. Thank you."

"They want $20 million," Morgan whispered as she got off of the stage. "By midnight."

Piper sighed, getting back up to add, "Now we're making an appeal to those holding Sophie Troy. We have received your message and are willing to fully cooperate in exchange for Mrs. Troy's safe return. However, we need proof of life and to open a channel of communication. You can reach us at any time by calling the FBI hotline. Our primary concern is the safety of Mrs. Troy. We will do whatever it takes to ensure her safe return. Thank you."

The reporter swarmed around her immediately. "Are they holding her hostage?"

"Is this the work a terrorist group?"

"Do you really think she's still alive?"

"Can we expect -"

Piper and Morgan made their way out of the press room and back to the briefing room, where Hotch, Rossi, and JJ were watching the footage on loop. "We've got to set up in case they call. We have to be ready."

When the call came, it was Kate who was there to trace it, Piper having run to grab another cup of coffee and call Reid for an update. They discovered that she was alive, and definitely being held by a man that sounded Russian. The call had been bounced from Chechnya, so a trace was no good, but a key phrase had given Rossi an idea. Garcia was dispatched to look into the Congressman's brother, who, sure enough, had been dealing with Russian drug rings before he got clean. Morgan and JJ went to talk to the brother, Piper trying to get more information on the call from Garcia.

"I'm trying to - well, in less technical terms, un-bounce from Chechnya," she explained as Piper took a seat beside her. "They're trying to make it look like it started over there, but there's a way I can… okay, I'm in Northwest DC. Let's see what magic I can work with that."

"How did you - never mind, just work your magic and explain it to me later," Piper shook her head, watching Garcia type away.

"Got it. Sending it over to the others now."

As the rest of the team was dispatched, Piper caught a few minutes of down time to get a bit of her own work done, while taking calls from reporters and repeating the same lines over and over again. Yes, they were on the case. Yes, they had a new lead. No, she could not release that lead. Maybe there would be more news soon. No comment, no comment, no comment. "Dr. Piper Reid, FBI." She answered the call with her routine greeting, this time being told hello by a voice that she knew well.

"Dr. Spencer Reid, also FBI."

"Hey, Spence, how's the stakeout going?"

"I've got a question for you."

"Shoot."  
"Will you van Gogh out with me?"

She leaned back in her chair, shaking her head and wondering where all of this was going. "What?"

"You didn't hear? They found a severed ear in a box at that address Garcia got."

"And that's how you decide to tell me?" Piper couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, we've got an assignment for you, Spence. Rossi's thinking you're our best lead on this right now, since the affair Morgan and JJ discovered didn't pan out. I -"

"I've got to go."

"Spence, what - are you running somewhere?"

"They're going to kill her if I don't do something."

"Who -"

There was the sound of a gunshot, Piper still on the line. "Pipes, the unsub's a woman. The people we're watching are running. We've got to tail them."

Recognizing the passion in his voice, Piper smiled a bit, nodding. "Go, Spence."

He was about to hang up, but took a second to add something they always signed off with, something they had started the first time one of them had gotten hurt. The constant reminder that they would always be waiting for each other to come home. A simple form of 'come home safe'. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now go get them." Piper hung up, rushing to the board room, where everyone had gathered. "It's the mother. We've been missing her all along."

"Rossi's got her now," Kate said, looking over to her. "They're in Hotch's office. We figured it out too. She just called them off. We're getting a team together to go on the rescue operation."

"Thirty-three hours after her abduction, Sophie Troy has been returned safely to her husband and family. Arrests have been made in connection with the case, but we are not releasing names at the time," Piper told a waiting news crew a little while later. "We are asking that you respect the family in this time of healing, and we would like to thank the media and the public as a whole for their cooperation in this investigation. It's great to have Mrs. Troy back, and to have resolved the case both swiftly and efficiently. Thank you." She stepped down from the stage, giving Reid a hug.

"You've got to meet Agent Loker," he told her as they made their way to the bullpen to grab their things and head home. "The one I was on the stakeout with. I'm sure you'd like her."

"It's nice you're making friends on investigations," Piper smiled, looking over to him as they got onto the elevator. "U menya yest' o chem bespokoit'sya?" _Do I have something to worry about?_

He gave her a kiss, taking her hand as they walked towards the parking lot. "Nyet."


	55. The Actions of Your Past

It was dark out, a night in the middle of August, when it was still boiling in DC. A heat wave had hit the city, and everyone was keyed up. Of course, crime was going up, but the BAU always had cases to be working on. Reid had fallen into a restless sleep in the still summer air, tossing and turning in bed until he started dreaming.

 _Falling. He was falling, and he couldn't control it. He hit the ground, standing up slowly to see Piper and the kids looking at him from behind a pane of glass. Nate was getting taller, and Piper held Sophie proudly. Piper smiled, blood dripping out of her mouth. She'd been shot. He tried to yell, tried to run for her, but the air was too heavy. Everything felt like he was moving through molasses, too slow and too late. They were fading away, the sticky air growing colder as he tried to scream, a voice telling him to be quiet. He turned, recognizing the voice immediately. Tobias Hankel. No, this couldn't be happening. He'd been dead for years._

 _The scars burned, they would always burn. The track marks on his arms, which had been fading into older scars, burned like they had been reopened just minutes ago. No. You can't do this. Hankel moved towards him with a needle and a devilish smile as he tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go. He couldn't move, he couldn't scream as Hankel reached out for his arm, plunging the needle in and_ \- Reid woke up in the darkness, gasping for breaths of the hot air.

"Piper," he mouthed, reaching out for her. "Piper." He realized he was alone, that the lights were off. The strand of lights they had always had plugged in was off. He could feel the darkness moving in, the heavy air keeping him from moving. Something in the back of his mind told him Hankel was lurking somewhere there, something telling him that since he couldn't see, there was something to be worried about. "Piper?" he finally managed, his wife opening the door and filling the room with light from the hallway.

"I'll call you back. Spence is up," she told someone on the phone, hanging up and setting it down as she came to sit on the bed next to him. "Hey, the power went out and then I had to take a call. It's not work, we don't have to go anywhere. Was it the same dream?"

"Yeah." He let her pull him into a hug, Piper not caring that he was covered in cold sweat. "And then the lights…"

"I know, I should have checked them before I went anywhere, but you know the microwave keeps beeping until you reset the clock, and I didn't want it waking up the kids. I didn't think… I'm sorry, Spence." She gave him a kiss, Reid looking at his left arm. Piper traced the scars with her finger, saying, "They're pretty faded now. I'm proud of you, Spence."

"I check them every time… every time I have that dream, just in case."

"I know. But Hankel's dead, and you're doing much better. It's going to be okay, Spence. I know… after something like that, after all of the shit we've been through, we're always going to have dreams like that. But I won't be far away, I can promise you that."

"I still wish I could block it out somehow."

"So do I," she nodded, standing. "Come on downstairs with me. I've still got a few of the clocks to reset, and I'm absolutely melting in here, even with the air on. But we do have ice cream in the freezer."

Reid smiled, following her downstairs. "Hey, who called in the middle of the night?"

"It wasn't anything important," she shrugged, grabbing spoons from the cutlery drawer in the kitchen. "Do you want chocolate or vanilla?"

They had barely sat down when Hotch called, saying that he needed Piper for an interview. A man had stabbed his wife to death with a kitchen knife, he said, and was claiming that he had seen her killer - some sort of monstrous thing with claws. "I've got to go see if we need an insanity defense or if he's malingering," Piper said as she got off the phone. "He told me you could stay in until the morning, if you want to. Get Nate off to school and Sophie off to Jessica's, and then head in."

"Okay. Let me know how it turns out."

"You're sure you'll be fine if I head in to work?" she asked, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah. Go get ready and I'll put some ice cream in a travel mug for you." Piper laughed, heading upstairs to change into professional clothes.

Piper got to the BAu in the middle of the night, making coffee and heading towards the room that Hotch had assigned her to. He'd briefed her about the case, and it was strangely similar to two other cases that had come across her desk recently. If it proved to be the same unsub, they would take it - three killings officially made it serial. "This is like the other two cases, where someone induced a psychotic break in the killers," Piper ruled, walking out of the interrogation room a few hours later. She had interviewed the man in the room, finding that he clearly had been under the influence of a powerful substance. "The shadowy figure they keep seeing is our unsub. He's drugging them and leading them to kill. The geography isn't right for a group delusion."

"All three tox screens were negative," Garcia said in the conference room when everyone had been assembled. Piper and Hotch had briefed them when they came in, still groggy from getting up so early.

"It could be drug cocktail," JJ proposed. "Some sort of pre-existing mental condition could have been affected, made them all react in the same way."

"We should run a more detailed drug panel," Reid added. "And start cognitive interviews in the meantime."

"Let's hit the ground running," Hotch nodded, looking over the group. "We've got to get this guy soon. His kills aren't getting any further apart."

As they spilt up, Reid pulled Piper over by the coffee machine. "Are you good?"

She took a deep breath, checking that none of the team was nearby when she told him, "Drugging people to make them forget who they've killed, what they've done - to turn them against the people they love - it does sound awfully like what happened to me. But I'll be fine, Spence. And if I'm not, I promise I'll tell you."

"That's good enough for me," he nodded, giving her a kiss. "Let's go. I've got to set up a geographic profile before I head out with Rossi, and I think Garcia's going to need you working on interviews and going over psych files. We're going to need you a lot on this one."

"Be careful out there, Spence."

"I will." He and Rossi headed out to the first crime scene, Reid calling her as Piper was working on fishing out adoption records for the killers with Garcia. "It's scopolamine. Scopolamine and sevoflurane. You know they cause hallucinations and suggestibility."

"Thanks for letting me know, Spence. We're thinking these people might have shared the same group home, since they shared the same delusion," Piper told him. "Let Rossi know, and get back to me safe."

Piper and Garcia were hard at work when the team got back, but they hadn't found any substantial leads. By the time everyone had returned from their interviews, there was another body. "4 murders in 4 states. How is he connecting them so quickly?" Rossi asked, looking to the team. "We've got to get to the bottom of this. He's got a wide range of people and places to go, and we need to corner him before he kills again."

"We're thinking they have something to do with ritual abuse allegations in the 80s," Morgan reported downstairs a little while later. "They may have said something against the unsub, and he's coming for revenge. Hotch is talking to the woman who's still being held here, since she hasn't said much. We're hoping it sets something off."

"I should be in there with her," Piper sighed, looking up from the records she was sorting through. "She's probably reverting into a childhood mindset because of the trauma, and I'm better trained to deal with that than anyone."

"Hotch can - what the hell?" The electricity began to cut on and off, Garcia shouting over all of them.

"Unplug everything! Unplug everything you can!" They ended up working by candlelight, sitting in the bullpen and talking. "It's a total network and infrastructure shutdown, and he got over or under or through the firewalls," Garcia explained. "The good news is he was looking in Witness Protection files, and I've got a bit of his encryption code. He wasn't trying to hit us, and we've got a bit of a way to track him."

Reid flipped through the files she had printed out at the closest cafe, saying, "I think I know where he learned this from. Encryption is a computer language, but it's basically a lot of math principles applied to computers. Now each math principle has a signature, and there's only one place where he could have learned all of this."

"Which is?" Kate asked, sitting down on her desk.

"Harvard, in a class called Math 55. It's really Honors Advanced Calculus and Linear Algebra. Students learn things like the differential geometry of Banach manifolds, the abstract treatment of calculus in normed vector spaces and differentiable manifolds -"

"Reid."

"Sorry. But graduates are almost always offered employment with the government or big tech companies. A lot of them end up with the NSA," Reid told them, Hotch immediately disappearing to call his contact at the NSA, hoping that he would know something.

"Hey Spence," Piper turned to him as the rest of the team went back to their workspaces, trying to find flashlights or other things to try to help them get the system back up and working. "When did you take Math 55?"

"I wasn't at Harvard, but I finished all of the Math 55 stuff in my second semester at Caltech. It was pretty elementary, if I'm being honest," he admitted, rifling through his desk for more candles.

"You're my favorite genius," Piper smiled.

"And you're mine. Now let's get this guy."

Hotch called back to the BAU with a name, which Garcia ran and discovered, "His parents ran a foster home that had the same allegations put up against it. Oh, the woman who brought in all of these allegations… she went into Witness Protection. Getting her address now. Let's go, team."

The team assembled, Piper grabbing her tactical gear and jumping in the van with the rest of them. Hotch had gotten to the woman's home before them, Rossi and Reid breaking the front door down to find him sitting there, pointing towards the back door. "He got away."

"Check the rest of the place," Rossi ordered, Reid moving out of the study as the other agents swarmed the home.

Piper made he way over to Hotch, Rossi already kneeling next to him. "He drugged you, didn't he?" she asked, Hotch nodding. "C'mon, we've got an ambulance outside. They can take a look at your head."

"We've got him! Morgan shouted from down the hall.

"Go," Piper said to Rossi, putting an arm around Hotch. "I'll take care of him. Let's go, Hotch. There we go, come on." She led him outside, passing JJ on the way, who nodded to her. Stepping up to the ambulance, Piper handed Hotch over to a couple of paramedics. She left him in their hands while she went to check up on the arrest, but returned as soon as she could.

"I know why they sent you," he told her, sitting in the back of the ambulance and watching the others.

"Oh really? I volunteered to check up on you." She sat down next to him, adding, "But yeah, I volunteered for a reason. He made you see things. He told you - he was going to make you kill us, wasn't he? Don't bother trying to lie, either. I know better than anyone else on the team what that stuff can do to you."

"What was it like?" Hotch asked, finally meeting her eye. "What was it like for you? DId you see us all dead before you actually did it?"

"No," she admitted, sighing as she shook her head. "The last thing I really remember… we were in the car, and he had a gun to my head. It was the same gun he put in my hands later. It was mine. After that, it came in flashes. His voice kept ringing in my head, telling me to kill them, or they would kill me. I don't remember the car ride, but I remember being pushed out of the car. Suddenly I got up to the door, somehow. It opened, and everyone had guns on me. After that… I remember my hands shaking. Spence was talking to me, and I knew people were slipping out of the room, but all I could focus on was him. I knew I had to kill him first, but there was something telling me to wait, wait just a few more seconds. I remember him… taking off his bulletproof vest and walking towards me, taking the gun away. As soon as he touched me, I realized what was happening, even if it was only for a minute. I don't really remember anything else until I… well, I guess you'd say I came to… sitting on that bed with him, with all of you gathered around in the little hotel room, once you'd made your arrest. It was scary - hell, it's still scary - to think about. But we all got out okay."

Hotch nodded, thinking. "I still see it in you sometimes. Whenever we have a case like this. I know you still dream about it. But it's shaped who you are."

"Just like this will shape you. But we come back from it, and we don't let it define who we are. People aren't the actions of their pasts, Hotch."


	56. Meg

A.N.: Okay, so the storm wasn't nearly as bad as it was looking like it was going to be! Power's on and everything, and there were only a few big trees knocked down.

* * *

Piper was at home when she got a call from JJ, telling her to get to work as soon as she could. The team had just landed from a case out in Los Angeles, but they were stuck working on files for a Congressional Oversight Committee hearing. "What's going on?" Piper asked, grabbing her purse and telling Nate to grab his bag and his sister's as she got Sophia into her car seat.

"Meg, Kate's daughter, and her friend Markayla are missing. Garcia's tracking them as well as she can, but they're not getting much. We need you here as soon as you can -"

"I'm on the way. Tell her I'll be there as soon as I drop the kids off. Oh my god, I couldn't imagine…"

"What's wrong, Mom?" Nate asked from the back of the car. Piper had been quiet as she drove, but their budding profiler could tell something was up. He'd just turned seven, and was already able to read people well.

"You know Kate, right?"

"Yeah. Are she and the baby okay?"

"Her older daughter… Meg is missing. We're going to find her, but it's scary when your family is in trouble," Piper said, watching the road as she turned on to Jessica's street. "It's scary, and… You know how Daddy and I tell you not to talk to strangers, and be careful wherever you go? This is why. Bad things can happen."

Piper dropped them off, winding up at Kate's house with Garcia and Hotch, Kate pacing as Piper walked up. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't imagine if this was one of my kids." She gave her a hug, adding, "We're going to find them. We're going to find them, and you'll be able to ground her for the next five years. Now you've got to lay down. I know when I was that far along… We can video you in."

"Those classmates she was going to meet - fake," Garcia reported. "No Bobby, Bob, Rob, Robert, Ty, or Tyler in any of their classes. It was a setup all along."

Piper took over where Kate had left off, checking all of Meg's things to see what was missing and if she had written any of their plans down. No diaries or schedules anywhere. "I'm going to stay here with her," Piper told Hotch as the team was packing up. "She's thinking this has to do with an old case, where someone was lured using the same picture the girls were. I know what it's like to have a loved one in danger like that. But I also know what it's like being the expectant mother and having to play that role too."

"Very good. Don't let her do anything too rash," Hotch instructed as Garcia carried her box of technical equipment past. "Keep her calm and positive. Good luck."

"You too." Piper disappeared into the kitchen, making tea for her and Kate. By the time the team had gotten back to the BAU, they'd established that the girls had been targeted because Kate had been so close to figuring out who the unsub was - another unsub, from a very similar case. She had been looking into things too much, and her daughter had been targeted.

They'd been sitting together for a few hours, trying to remain calm, when Piper's phone rang. "Hey, Spence, what's up? That's great news. I'll let her know. For sure. Okay, good. Go get her." She hung up, telling Kate, "Markayla's been found. She managed to get away. The girls were drugged when they got into the van. Meg… Meg knew the kidnappers were vulnerable during transfers. The girls had a plan, and they stuck to it. It's worked so far, so there's a good chance Meg's going to stick with it."

"I taught her about some of the people we work with," Kate admitted, wiping at her eyes. "I told her about how to undermine sadists, about how not to show fear…"

"She's doing great," Piper assured her. "JJ's with Markayla now, trying to get a good description. They'll have a sketch artist in soon. Garcia's running backgrounds, Hotch is trying to get anything he can together, and I have the best geographic profiler I know working on mapping out where the girls have been and where they could have been taken."

"It's almost morning. There have been no ransom calls, and they think it's a trafficking ring," Kate sighed, dropping her head into her hands.

"I've got a couple of calls to make, but Chris just got home." Chris came into the room, giving his wife a hug as Piper stepped out, already dialing the BAU office. "Garcia, what have you got? What's going on? We've got flyers all the way to Massachussetts now."

"There have been dozens of abductions like this, with a ton of different killing styles nationwide. There are dozens of sites, and I'm combing through them with, like, the finest toothed comb you can imagine, but I've got nothing."

"You said there are tons of different abductions that fit over the last few years, all over the States, and a lot of them end in deaths with different MO's, right?"

"Uh huh."

"They're feeding people to serial killers. Let Hotch know."

"I will, Lady Genius. Garcia out."

Piper looked in on Kate and Chris, telling them that she would be headed back to the BAU, and that they were working on a solid lead. Garcia had a name, and she was running with it. She would personally keep them updated. Kate and Chris hugged her, thanking her profusely. "Stay together. You can't blame each other. Spence and I can tell you that from experience. We're going to get her back, but you can't let this unravel you two."

She sped to the BAU, where Reid filled her in on everything that had happened. "You were right - it's a website for serial killers. The forensic evidence leads us to the killers, not the real sellers. So we needed to get a killer while he was online, and Garcia could just backtrack from there. She's got one, and we've got a team on the way."

"You all are going to have to break him quick," Garcia said from her computer. "There's so much security it's like trying to get through the Great Wall of China with a plastic spoon."

"They'll have him here soon," Reid added, making another cup of coffee as Piper's phone started to ring.

"Hey." She took a step to the side, motioning for Reid to pour her a cup too. "Yeah, I am. I can't talk now, we're kind of busy at work. I know, we're at work all of the time. Just text me plans later, okay? Okay. Bye."

"What's up with the team?"

"Not the team, just a friend."

"Your friend from the CDC?"

"Nah. Thanks for the coffee, Spence. I'm going to run down to my office to check up on a few things. Maybe I can get at this from a different angle." She grabbed her coffee mug, kissing his cheek and heading downstairs.

Reid watched her go, shaking his head. _That's odd. She's being kind of evasive. No, don't think like that, it's a friend of hers'. It couldn't possibly… no. Focus on the case. But you did the same thing. You gave her the same evasive answers and took the same phone calls… no._ "We've got him," Morgan announced. "Interrogation Room 3. Where's Piper? We've got two people, and Hotch thinks she'll do well with Miles Hendrick."

Piper entered the interrogation room as Hotch was talking, taking a position against the wall. MIles Hendrick was as bad as they came, willing to sell young girls to serial killers as long as they disposed of the bodies as he asked. "I had to get Meg. I knew I couldn't get Kate, but… do you know how much a female fed would go for?" Hendrick asked, Hotch looking at him in disgust.

"I do," Piper said solemnly, moving into the light to stand next to Hotch. "I went for $120,000." Hotch looked over at her, Piper continuing to talk. "Look, we can put you away for all of these murders with no problem. But you can stop the next few if you give us some names. You can stop this, and I'm sure that will be factored in at the trial. Sure, they'll think you're a bad man, but a change of heart always looks good in a courtroom."

Hendrick sighed, looking to Hotch. "She sold to a guy who dismembers his bodies and throws the pieces into the Potomac. I can give you the passwords, but I can't promise that she'll be alive when you get there."

"That's all we need," Piper assured him. Garcia was able to backtrack and find out who bought Meg within minutes. A team was dispatched to bring her in, and teams all over the country were mobilized to apprehend the other serial killers on the site.

Heading back through the bullpen, Piper stopped at JJ's desk. "Call me crazy, but I'm sensing a new godson. Or goddaughter," she smiled.

JJ shrugged, saying, "It's too early to tell. Spence guessed it too. I'll let you know as soon as I know, though. What gave it away?"

"You're asking a mother and a profiler what gave it away," Piper reminded her. "You're kind of obvious, though. I mean, having the perfect snacks for Kate earlier was a tip-off, but Will might have said a thing or two."

JJ shook her head, smiling. "I'll have to tell him to stop mentioning it."

"He hasn't said anything to anyone else," Piper promised, nodding at her husband. Reid jogged over, asking if she was ready to go home. "Yeah, just let me grab my purse from my office and I'll meet you by the elevator." She gave Kate a call to check in as she went downstairs, asking how Meg was doing and than posing a question she had deduced earlier. "When's your last day?"

"Soon," Kate sighed, Piper powering down her computer. "I gave Hotch my two weeks' notice when we got Meg back. I want to be more involved in her life, and with a baby on the way, well, I'll want to be involved in their life too."

"We'll miss you. I know I'm sorry to see you go," Piper told her as she locked up her office and headed for the stairs. "But you've got to keep me updated on this baby."

"You know I will."

Piper and Reid drove over to Jessica's in relative quiet, both of them glad that they had managed to get Meg back home safely. Nate and Sophia were both asleep within minutes of getting in the car, Piper driving them all home in the darkness. She turned to look at Reid as she parked, seeing that he was dozing off. She had half a mind to keep driving around the city for a little while, but she was exhausted, so she shook her husband's shoulder, whispering, "It's time to get up, Spence. Can you carry Nate in? I'll go unlock the door."

"Yeah." He stretched, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car before picking Nate up, Piper carrying Sophia on her hip as they made their way in. That was how they did things now if they were both out on a case, coming home from work to put the kids to bed, saying hello to them in their sleepy states. Reid would lock up the apartment while Piper threw everything from their go-bags into the laundry, both of them dropping into bed and falling asleep quickly, trying to decompress from the case before they had another one. This time was different, though.

Reid found Piper in the laundry room, her phone to her ear as she measured out laundry detergent. He was quiet for a moment, listening in on her conversation. "I know, I know. I'll see you soon and we can talk about it then. Yeah, I'll come up with something to do with the kids. Maybe we can just meet for coffee before I have to pick them up one day. Soon, I know. I won't say anything to - yes, I know he's a profiler," she laughed, reaching for the fabric softener. "I know he's a profiler, but Spence has no clue. We'll keep it that way. I know what you mean. It's got to be hard to keep anything secret from her too. Okay, I'll see you soon. Goodnight, Will."

She shut the washing machine, spinning the dial and setting it to run as Reid made his way back upstairs, his head spinning. When Piper came to bed a few minutes later, he turned to ask, "Who were you talking to downstairs? I heard your voice while I wa brushing my teeth."

"Just a telemarketer. I keep getting offers for timeshares in the Florida Keys," she yawned. "Too many hurricanes for me."

"Oh, okay." He put an arm around her, Piper giving him a kiss and smiling as she lay down.

 _I have to talk to JJ. That's got to be JJ's Will. Something's going on for sure. I can't believe she's doing this. No. You've got to talk to her. No, what if you're overreacting? You need proof. You've got to have more proof than one suspicious conversation. She and Will have been friends for years. Wait, what if they've been more than friends for years?_ He rolled over restlessly, staring at the strand of lights they'd hung up for ages before he fell asleep.


	57. The Surprise

"Spence, it's nothing. They're friends, that's all," JJ insisted, Reid sitting down at his desk while he talked on the phone.

"They're on the phone in the middle of the night, they're making plans to meet in cafes and coffee shops, she's making up excuses -"

"If you really think something's up, why don't you ask her?"

Reid bit his lip, confessing, "If I'm wrong, she'll think I'm too suspicious. I've already almost ruined my marriage once. I'm not going to do it again by accusing her of things she isn't doing."

JJ shook her head as she rocked her newborn son, realizing that he couldn't see her over the phone. "It's fine, Spence."

He frowned, thinking that there was a lot to worry about, but he didn't dare say anything to Piper. There was no way he could say anything if there was a chance he could be wrong. He would need more evidence. _You have to catch them in the act. Or saying something explicit. Or an "I love you'. If they say that, I don't know what I'll do. I know how she felt… I can't believe I made her feel like this. I can't trust anything._

Piper came upstairs soon after, making a cup of coffee and saying hello to Dr. Tara Lewis, who would be taking over for Kate. They got along famously within a few minutes, bonding over the forensic psychology work that they had both done in the past. Reid kept glancing over at her as the two women talked. He watched how she laughed, how she smiled, how she talked about the things she was passionate about. _Piper, I love you. That's exactly how I fell in love with you. You wouldn't stop smiling and being nice to me. You laugh at my stupid joke and let me talk when the others don't and listen to me even if you don't know much about what I'm saying. Please, please, PLEASE don't be with Will. I know you can replace me easily if you wanted to. And you two would look good together, I can't deny that. But I love you._

He felt someone behind him as he stared blankly at a file, Piper coming over and kissing the top of his head. "You look worried, Spence," she observed. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Reid sighed, wondering if he should bother talking to her now. "Piper, I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong, babe?" She sat down on his desk, looking concerned.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we've got a poison gas attack out in L.A.," Garcia said, dashing over to the bullpen. "Hotch says we're handling this one immediately. He wants us in the conference room."

"We'll talk later, okay?" Piper got up, following Garcia as Reid watched the two of them start talking, exchanging rapid-fire information like they were back in their offices, talking from across the hall.

When Reid and the others filled in their seats, Garcia started to talk. "A poison gas attack on a bus out in L.A. killed ten people this morning. Local investigators found a homemade timer on the bus, so the unsub didn't need to be there when it went off. Hazmat's still on the scene."

"Wheels up in 30," Hotch nodded, everyone grabbing their files and coffee cups before making their way out of the door.

"Hey, Spence, wait!" Piper jogged down the hall after him. She had been talking to Tara when everyone got up, Reid grabbing his things and heading for the elevator before she could catch up with him. She caught up with him at the elevator, taking his hand and promising, "We'll talk when you get home, okay? I can tell something's bothering you."

"I… yeah, okay."

"I love you, Spence," she smiled, giving him a kiss as the elevator door opened.

"Love you too," he said in a hollow voice, getting on the elevator with Morgan.

As soon as the doors closed, Morgan turned to his friend and asked, "So what's up with you two?"

"Nothing."

"You're looking at the elevator door, not making eye contact, and that did not sound like a man in a happy marriage back there. What's up, Reid?" Morgan leaned on the wall of the elevator, crossing his arms and waiting. "We're going to be stuck on a plane together for a while, so you can't avoid this one, man."

"She's cheating on me," Reid murmured, leading the way as they got off of the elevator, taking a left towards the hall that would lead them all the way down to the airstrip. He still refused to look Morgan in the eye as they made their way towards the plane. "Piper's cheating on me, and I think it's with…"

"With?"

"Will. JJ's Will." He finally turned to look at Morgan as they boarded the plane. "Don't say anything about it to her, though. Or to any of the others."

"What makes you think she's cheating on you?" Morgan asked, stowing his go-bag underneath his seat.

Reid followed suit, telling him that, "She's out late at night, making mysterious phone calls to him all the time, trying to cover it up… it just all adds up, Morgan. She's cheating on me, and it's with Will. I thought they were friends all along, but -"

"What's the meeting about?" Tara asked as she got onto the plane. "You two look like you're plotting something."

"Just trying to pick the best restaurant for our first night in L.A.," Morgan told her, flawlessly covering for Reid. "I'm saying we go for steak, and I could really use some backup here."

Piper and Garcia were busy looking into everyone who had gotten on the bus and then gotten off before the attack, but that only left them with a handful of names. "If it was on a timer, it could have been over any time in the last, I don't know, month and a half, maybe, that this guy planted it," Piper announced from her office, rolling her chair into the doorway so she could look at Garcia. "And he'd need to work in a lab or have a trained chemist make it, since bathtub sarin is extremely risky."

"I've already sent the team the name of a guy who was outside of the bus but didn't get on it. And I'm already running a list of all of the potential sarin producers in the area."

"Perfect. They should be landing soon."

"Question - what's going on with Reid?" Garcia questioned, spinning in her chair to face Piper's office.

"What do you mean?"

"Is something wrong with him? The way he looked at you - the way he was looking at you when I walked over and told you about the attack - he looked like you'd just kicked a puppy."

"I'll be honest, I don't know. He's been off for a few days," Piper admitted, "but I don't know why. He said there was something he wanted to talk about, but he had to leave before I could get anything else out of him. Penelope, you don't think he knows -"

Garcia shrugged, telling her, "I wouldn't put it past him. He's a smart guy. And speaking of smart guys, hello there, handsome," Garcia smiled as Morgan called. "What's up?"

"The supplier you got us - he's dead. Whoever this guy is, we're thinking he's got more on hand and is planning something big. But that guy you gave us - Charlie Senarak - I think he's panning out. He sure is acting suspicious," Morgan reported. "He's keyed up about something. Reid and Rossi are on their way to check in on him at work, since his answers and our info about him doesn't line up. Just thought I should fill you two in. Hey, is Piper there?"

"Right next to her," Piper said.

"I'm gonna warn you while Reid's in the bathroom - I think he's on to you."

"I'll be careful, don't worry," Piper assured him. "Go get some investigating done."

Reid called to check in with them that evening. Piper and Garcia were staying overnight, trying to get as much as they could on the people involved in their prime suspect's life. Piper was also trying to get a couple of cases screened in between phone calls, but she wasn't having much success. "His wife was having an affair, and her husband killed her lover," he told her in greeting. "Now the lover's brother witnessed his murder and tried turning Senarak into a patsy. That's where we're at right now."

"All of this over an affair?" Piper shook her head, relaying the information to Garcia so she could start tracking cell phones and GPS signals.

"You'd be surprised what someone with a broken heart will do."

"Spence, what's wrong?" Piper leaned back in her chair, putting her feet up on her desk and taking a sip from her favorite coffee mug. "You sound like you've been stressing about something all day, and well into tonight. I know you've been off for a few days now, and it's not the dreams. What's going on?"

"We'll talk about it when I get home."

"It's an 'I have to see your face' thing, then, isn't it?"

"Piper, we can talk when I get home. Right now I need to know what this guy's views were."

"Garcia and I will look into it and have something for you by sunrise. Whatever this is, Spence, you're scaring me."

"Goodbye, Piper."

"Bye, Spence." She hung up, grabbing a walkie talkie and telling Garcia to look into the unsub's political views, trying to figure out where he was targeting next. As she sat up, Piper glanced at one of the framed photos on her desk, a rare picture of the four of them together on the beach. She felt a twinge of guilt, having to keep secrets from her husband, but was shaken out of her thoughts when Garcia yelled from across the hall.

"He's been posting a lot about Waco," she called.

Piper got up, standing in Garcia's doorway. "If Waco's one of his big pressure points, he''s going to head for the FBI office."

"What's the best time for that?" Garcia looked over to her, stopping Piper before she could respond. "5 o'clock, when everyone gets out of work. Well, all the normal agents, anyway. We've got to get word to the team."

"I'm going to catch a nap. We can switch off in a little while," Piper promised, heading towards the break room. "There's no way I can stay up any longer." She didn't end up sleeping for long, since other agents would come in to make coffee or to check in with Garcia and the other analysts working in the basement. When the next shift of agents arrived, Piper rolled off of the sofa, pouring a cold cup of coffee and running her hands through her hair, pulling it up and out of her face.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Garcia smiled, handing her a donut. "I ran out and got us some breakfast. They were all out of Boston Cream, but I figured this was close enough. Also, the team is ready and waiting for when the unsub gets there. They should have everything handled."

The team flew back in that evening, Reid finding Piper at home. She'd picked up Nate and Sophia when they'd gotten the phone call saying that they had made an arrest and that everyone was safe. After the kids were in bed, she'd sat down to review a few case files and was dozing off when she heard the door unlock. "Hey, Spence."

"Piper, we need to talk." He dropped down into an armchair, looking like he had aged ten years. He raked a hand through his hair, sighing and trying to figure out what to say. He had been thinking about it on the plane ride home, but hadn't been able to nail down anything concrete. "You… are you… what… What's going on between you and Will?"

"Nothing. Why, Spence?"

"I heard… If there's nothing up, what's with all of these secret phone calls, the lunches, you disappearing late at night… what's going on, Piper?" He looked up at her with red eyes, Piper sighing and moving next to him.

"I'm sorry, Spence. I didn't realize… I didn't realize I was scaring you. It's nothing, I promise. It's just… Will and I, and then Will, JJ, and I when she started staying home with Michael, well, we were planning a surprise for your birthday. The whole team's in on it, just ask them. There's nothing between Will and I. We're friends, that's it," she assured him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I'm sorry if I had you worried."

Reid shook his head, sighing. "I didn't want to ask until I had proof, but I couldn't take it any more. I… I know you could replace me in an instant if you wanted to. I wonder, sometimes, why you even bother staying…"

"Oh, Spence, I love you, that's why. I loved you from the day I met you," she told him, laying her head on his shoulder. "I don't care how much we have to deal with, as long as we do it together."

"No, I mean… you deserve someone so much better -"

"I don't want anyone else. You're the best, Spence. You make me smile, you make me think, what else could I want?"

"You could've married a… a Morgan or someone, and yet you wound up with me."

"Spencer Reid, I love you. That's why I ended up with you, and that's why I'm still with you. I don't know how to get that to stick in your head. You've got a self-doubting problem," she pointed out. "You need that validation all of the time. I love you, and I will keep loving you, no matter what. I don't need someone who looks like an action hero. I need someone brilliant who can keep up with me, someone I can talk to, someone who understands all of the shit I've been through. I need someone who will feed me random information and someone who will make me laugh with all of his science jokes. I need you, Spence. And no one can replace you."

He was quiet for a moment, finally saying, "I guess I ruined the surprise."

"Nah, I'd rather you not be surprised than to think I was cheating on you for months," she smiled, giving him a kiss. "And besides, you haven't figured out all of our plans. Especially Garcia's part."

"I'll be prepared," he laughed, leaning over to kiss her.


	58. Locked In

A.N.: Ya girl is back! Fresh from the torture that is the LSAT, I'm back with more time to write. Well, a bit more time, anyway. I've still got more grad school exams and applications to do, but I've got a teeny bit more time on my hands. So enjoy!

* * *

"Spence, come to bed," Piper yawned, standing next to the armchair he was occupying. "I'm tired, and we're not usually at home at the same time. I'd just like to fall asleep next to my husband for once."

"I'm almost done with this book," he replied.

"You were almost done with a book an hour ago."

"That was a different book," he shrugged.

"Spence, you read a lot when you're anxious," Piper said, sitting down on the arm of his chair. "What's wrong?"

"JJ's back. That means you're not flying out with us as often."

"Mmm, that's not it." She kissed the top of his head, saying, "We've had to deal with that before. And if you were worried about missing me, you'd have come to bed earlier."

"Mom's getting worse. They've switched her meds three times to try to stabilize her schizophrenia," Reid admitted, looking up at Piper.

"Maybe you should go out to visit her," Piper suggested, running a hand through his hair.

Reid leaned his head back to look at her, saying, "I should, but I'd want you there with me."

"We can talk to Hotch about it in the morning," Piper assured him. "For now, you've got to stop worrying and come upstairs. You're not going to be able to do anything if you haven't been able to sleep for days."

"I don't think either of us are going to get much sleep tonight."

"Oh really?" Piper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Hotch just texted and told us we need to come in. Something about -"

Piper's phone had started to ring in the other room. "I'll be right back. Actually, I'll get the kids up while I talk, if you want to grab the go-bags and put their stuff in the car." She jogged over to where her phone was charging. "Hey, Garcia. What's up? Okay, take a deep breath and tell me. Slow down. Okay. Oh my… yeah, I'll stop by as soon as I drop Spence off. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this."

"What's happening?" Reid asked, setting their bags down by the door.

"Garcia's being targeted by a group of hitmen. Remember the Montolo case? Yeah, she was the Dirty Dozen. It's something to do with all of the proxy servers she used or something… I don't quite understand it, but there's a hit out on her. Hotch convinced Witness Protection that she'd be safer at the BAU than if they sent her out of state, but… she can't leave the building. I'm going to drop the kids off with Jessica, drop you at the Bureau, and then pick up some of her things." Piper sighed, shaking her head as she headed for the stairs. "Hotch assigned me to stay with her, since she'd be more comfortable with me than with some random agent."

"So we're all on her case," Reid resolved. "We'll have the guys in 24 hours."

"No, you're out on a case in Arizona. We've got an usub abducting and torturing people out near Phoenix. You and the team are going to be on that, and I'm going to try to track down the men going after Garcia. Spence, I have a feeling things are about to get a lot more personal."

Reid frowned, following her up the stairs. "We'll be okay." _I hope._ "Go wake Nate up and start getting Sophie's stuff ready. I'm going to change and start a pot of coffee. I'll get Nate fed and ready to go while you're up getting ready."

"Sophie better stay asleep. It took me long enough to get her to sleep," Piper sighed, pausing outside of the little girl's room. "I love you, Spence."

"I love you too. And we're going to handle this."

Piper ended up dropping Reid off first, then dropping the kids off with Jessica. She headed over to Garcia's next, picking up a whole list of things that she had texted over, including Sergio, Prentiss' cat that Garcia was taking care of while Emily was off with Interpol in London. By the time she got back to the BAU, carrying a bag of things for Garcia (and Sergio's cat carrier), Garcia was already hard at work, relaying information to the team, who were well on their way out west. "Hey. I don't think Hotch is going to like us having a cat down here, but he's out of town now, so -"

"They think it's an unsub who's into this for some icky torture thing - hey, did Reid call you yet?"

"No, why? Was he supposed to?"

"Yeah, Hotch sent him out to Vegas," Garcia told her, typing away. "He told him to go check up on his mom. The poor kid's going crazy over her. I… I'm not supposed to know, but I saw the ticket he'd bought pop up on my servers and I couldn't help but to -"

"It's okay," Piper said, letting Sergio out of his cage and starting to set up his litter box. "I'm sure there's a reason he hasn't said anything. He probably doesn't want me to worry about him, or his mom. Now what's this you were saying about torture?"

They spent the next few hours alternatively calling in with the team and making Garcia at home. She set up her things in the break room, Piper helping her unpack a little bit. Garcia didn't want to unpack everything, since she was banking on not being there for a while, but she had to make herself at home as much as she could. "Can we get some groceries?" Garcia asked, wheeling her chair into the hallway in the midafternoon. "There's no way I'm living on cafeteria food, even if it's just for a few days."

"I'll run out later on, just make me a list," Piper promised, wheeling her chair over to the door. "They don't want you leaving the building at all. I talked to Hotch, and we're both going to be camping out here. Maybe Spence can bring the kids by when he gets back."

"At least I'll have you here," Garcia sighed, deflating slightly in her chair at the bad news. "You are staying with me, right?"

"Yeah, I'm going to run out for a few things, but I'll be here 99% of the time," Piper nodded, getting up to give her a hug. "We'll have a movie night tonight or something. I know everyone said they'd come in and have dinner with us if we end up staying here for a while, but we'll have to entertain ourselves while they're off on the case."

"Sounds good. And we've got Sergio." Sergio had settled in, curling up on top of one of the keyboards Garcia had plugged in on her desk. "You should bring his bed over.. How do you feel about vegetarian omelets for dinner? I know I've already got eggs and stuff in my mini fridge down here, since I've got to make food all hours of the day."

"Perfect," Piper smiled. "Make me a list and I can run out for more stuff in a little while. Actually, I've got to swing by Jessica's and let her know what Spence and I are up to with this case and with staying here… I should grab more of Nate and Sophie's stuff while I'm out. I guess I'll just go now. Keep me updated on the case, and I'll be back by dinner time."

Piper did some running around that afternoon, first picking Nate up from school, then taking him home to pack up some more things to take to Jessica's. They picked up some of Sophia's stuff too. When she dropped him off, she promised that Reid would be home soon, and they'd come up to work to visit her and Aunt Penelope. She spent a while at the store, picking up things for her and Garcia, all stuff that could be cooked on a hotplate, in a toaster oven, or in a microwave, since they didn't have a real stove at the BAU. Reid called while she was on her way back to the Bureau. "Hey, Spence, what's up?"

"He's torturing for answers about his daughter's abduction. Trying to keep them awake like he feels he should have been," Reid began.

"Really? Where does Hotch have you stationed now?" she asked, pulling into the parking garage.

"I'm… Piper, I should have told you earlier," he sighed. "I don't want to lie to you, I know I shouldn't. Mom's not doing so well. Hotch sent me out to Las Vegas to visit her. I just left for the day, and I'm headed back to the hotel."

Piper pulled into her parking spot, turning the car off and unbuckling her seatbelt. "How's she doing now?"

"It was an average day, not too good, not too bad," Reid sighed. "I wish you could be out here with me… and that she could see the kids again. Pipes, I don't know how much longer they'll be able to manage it… they've switched her meds and gotten her stabilized, but there's less time between the switches now, and… Piper, I'm just scared… scared that I won't be here for her last good day."

"Spence, they're going to find something for her. There are plenty of experimental trials she could get into and… if we have to, she could come and stay with us. I'd stay at home with ehr and work press liaisons from there, or I'd funnel cases to all of you from the house, or -"

"Piper, you know you couldn't do that."

"We'll find something if we have to," Piper promised him. She got up, grabbing the bags of groceries she had collected and beginning to make her way into the building. "We're going to find something. We'll help her as much as we can. If anything, we could take a break and head out there for a few months. I don't know, I'm just trying to come up with things. But we'll make it work." She was waved through security, the guard nodding at her. They'd known each other for ages, so he didn't bother to sort through all of her bags of groceries. "Spence, I promise we'll find a way to help."

"I just wish I could do something more…"

"I know, but we're going to have to get through this together."

"Okay. I'm going to grab some dinner, but I'll give you and Garcia a call tonight to check in. Make sure she's not going stir-crazy in there."

"I will," Piper smiled. "Enjoy your dinner and remember how much I love you."

"I love you too."

Piper and Garcia spent the rest of the night making food in the tiny BAU kitchen, moving their things into the room they had taken over, and calling in to check with the rest of the team. They had gotten a lead on their killer, and were trying to track him down as Garcia made popcorn and started a movie on her computers. It was one of her romantic comedies, one of the movies Piper hated but watched because her friend needed her. She'd always preferred action movies, something like the lives they were leading, but Garcia had to watch something aside from blood and guts and danger.

Garcia slept well that night, knowing that she was safe in the BAU offices. But Piper couldn't sleep. She missed Reid, for sure, but she still felt like something was off. Something felt wrong, like she was missing information. So she called Reid, not caring if she woke him up. "Spence, I have to talk to you," she said, making her way into the hallway in her pajamas. SHe paced past a few offices, turning to head back since she couldn't leave Garcia for too long.

"What's wrong, Piper?"

"I don't quite know," she admitted, "and this is a total shot in the dark, but Hotch didn't send you on leave for so long just because of your mom, did he?"

"You've been reading my emails, haven't you?"

Piper was quiet, leaning on the wall as she admitted, "Spence, I know what you're doing…. Which is why I wasn't a bit alarmed when you… when I read that thing about trying to get me killed. I know she's an assassin, I know Hotch approved of this, but I can't help but think you're talking into a trap here."

"Pipes, you weren't supposed to -"

"No, I put it all together. I talked to your mom a few days ago. She's been stable for a couple of weeks. I know Hotch has you working on the network of hitmen, and you've got one of them tracked down. Her name's Cat Adams. You did go out to visit your mom, but you wouldn't have headed for dinner at the same time I did if you were still out in Vegas. You were there to visit for a day, take a couple of pictures to send me, all of that. But you're busy tracking her down now, with the promise of a wife to kill," Piper deduced, sitting down on the floor outside of her and Garcia's room.

Reid was silent, finally telling her, "You're right. I wanted to tell you, but Hotch said it would be too much. I did go to visit mom, and I'm going to be flying out to visit her for a while, but I'm also working on this. I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier. It's just you and the kids and…"

"I want you to promise me something, Spencer."

"Anything."

"When you do go to confront her, like I know you will… I looked into her, did some digging of my own. She's going to want to meet you in a restaurant and take you somewhere else to try and kill you. But when you do meet up with her, wear a fake ring."

"Okay."

"A wedding ring tells a story, Spence. All the dings and scratches in it tell you about the years in between now and when it was shiny and new. Plus we got ours engraved, remember? I don't want her reading all of that." She sighed, leaning her head back on the wall. "I know, I sound ridiculous. But I've studied people like her, and I know what Cat Adams is. I just don't -"

"I get it. I'll swap them out right before I go in."

"I hate to ask, but when is this all happening?"

"Hotch thinks we'll have enough evidence put together and enough resources to do it next week. I'm flying out to be with Mom for a few days, then I'll be back at the Bureau beforehand."

"Okay. Say hi to Miss .45 for me."

"Will do. I love you, Piper."

"I love you too, Spence. Goodnight." She hung up, sitting in the silent hallway for a moment before heading back into her and Garcia's room. Garcia was snoring away, but Piper tossed and turned on the air mattress she'd been sleeping on, thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong.


	59. Miss 45

A.N.: I screamed so loudly at the school's football game that I've got a cough now. But I'm still on track to finish Season 12 before the next season comes out!

* * *

Hotch handed Piper a cup of coffee, saying, "We're going to need all hands on deck when this goes down tonight. You'll be here running things with Garcia and I, while the rest of the team is deployed at the restaurant."

Piper accepted gratefully, taking a gulp. She'd just said goodbye to Reid, who had held her tightly and promised he would be back that night, that he wouldn't do anything stupid. He was headed off with the rest of the team to get ready for what would turn out to be a harrowing night when Hotch walked over. "Thanks. I… Hotch, she scares me. I've dealt with people like her before, but there's something unnerving about her. More than the others. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something."

"I know. I'm sorry." He reached out for her, uncharacteristically giving her a hug. Piper hugged him back, realizing a little too late why he had embraced her. She'd started getting dizzy, her eyes closing as Hotch grabbed her before she could hit the ground. "I'm very sorry."

"Did you really have to drug her?" Garcia asked, helping Hotch walk her over to the sofa that she had been folding out into a bed every night.

"It'll wear off in a couple of hours," Hotch assured her as Garcia sat back down at her computer. "Piper knows too much about Cat Adams, and she'd either be breathing down our necks and drinking too much coffee here, or about to walk in there and kill her herself. Besides, I talked to Reid about it, and he agreed that it would be for the best. She'll be mad when she wakes up, but she'll understand."

Garcia pursed her lips, knowing that Piper would be mad at Hotch and Reid for a while. But it would be easier, working without her going stir-crazy in the office. "Okay, we've got comms up and running. We're looking good. Patching the rest of the team in now. They should be on their way to the restaurant."

Garcia and Hotch would spend the next two hours talking to the team, making sure the entire restaurant wasn't blown up and Cat Adams was escorted out and into custody safely. Every so often, she would check in on Piper, who was sleeping peacefully in the room that they had been sharing for the past few weeks. It was only when they were making an arrest and Garcia had begun to cry tears of joy that a slightly disheveled Piper burst into the room, grabbing Hotch by the shoulder. "What have you done? He could be dead and I -"

"He just arrested her," Hotch assured her, trying to keep Piper calm and keep her from yelling at him. "The network is down. We got the bomber and Cat, and neither of them is going to see the outside of a maximum security prison for the rest of their lives. Morgan's with Reid, they're all okay. The case is over."

"I… I've got to get home. I've got to get the kids home… I've got to find Spence. I swear on my life, Aaron Hotchner, if you ever do that again, I'll… I'll hire Cat Adams to take care of you." Hotch smiled a bit to himself as Piper raced back to her and Garcia's room, throwing things into her bag.

"Do you think she's gonna be okay? Sir?" Garcia asked, looking up at Hotch.

"She'll be okay. She just needs to get back to Reid. She has to see him for herself, and she'll be okay."

Reid called her on her way home, telling her to meet at a local park. Piper shrugged, thinking that she would just pick the kids up in the morning. When she got there, she found Reid sitting on a swing, waiting. "Spence! I'm so glad… I'm so glad I have you back." Reid pulled her into a hug, Piper burying her face in his shoulder. "Hotch drugged me right before -"

"I know. You're going to hate me for this, but I told him to."

"What? Why?" She stepped back a bit, holding his hands in her own. "You knew I would be pissed, why the hell would you let him do that?"

"Because you've been so on edge ever since you found out about Cat Adams," he explained calmly. "I know you would have been ripping your hair out waiting there, and you would've gone crazy trying to wait in that restaurant. I'm sorry, but he asked me what I thought about it and… I thought he was only going to give you something to make you relax, not knock you out. I should have realized that's what he was going for."

"What happened in there, Spence? I heard something about bombs and guns to people's heads and so many other things… what the hell happened?"

They sat down on a pair of swings, Reid holding Piper's hand and starting to talk. "I got to the restaurant and started talking to her, and she saw through my disguise pretty quickly. She thought I was single for a while, but…"

" _That ring would have scratches all over it, if it's four years old. You're not married," Cat smiled, putting the ring in her purse. "So tell me, what is it you really want? Oh, wait… I see it now. I see it in your eyes, Dr. Reid. Your real ring means too much to you to wear it on a case like this one, where you know it'll be spotted. Or where someone like me could take it. So tell me, what's the real Mrs. Reid like?"_

" _Dr.," he corrected. "Piper's a Doctor."_

" _I should have known. She'd have to be pretty smart to keep up with you. Where'd you meet?"_

" _The FBI. We worked together."_

" _And then did lots of other things together," Cat nodded. "So how long has it been?"_

" _It's been_ _years."_

" _You know," she said, leaning forward a bit, "I like how you mentioned your fake wife was pregnant… it got me thinking. There's got to be a kid involved. But I wonder, does your kid look more like her or like you?"_

" _We've got two," Reid admitted, making sure not to reveal too much. "Our older one - Nate - he's adopted. His parents were killed on a case we were working. Sophie's biological. She's got Piper's nose, but her hair's dark like mine."_

" _So, do you like redheads?"_

" _How do you -"_

" _I do my research," Cat laughed, "just like you do. I must say, Piper's a brilliant woman. I've read some of her work. Really, it's fascinating to read about people like me. I've heard she's coming out with a book soon. I think I'll preorder a copy. I'd like to meet her one day."_

" _Not a chance."_

" _And those kids, they're cute." Reid tried not to react, knowing that's what she was looking for - pressure points. "I bet they're going to turn out like the both of you. Unless they realize their dad's gone all of the time. You do that a lot, don't you - fly all over the country, disappear for a few days at a time? It must be pretty lonely for your wife."_

"She asked about us?" Piper wanted to know.

Reid nodded. "She knew about you and the kids, or at least made it seem like she did. She knew a little bit, I'm sure. It doesn't take much more than a Google search."

"Okay, so what happened then?"

"You know how there were four of them - the sniper, the poisoner, the bomber, and her? Well, we'd taken out the sniper and the poisoner, and she'd gotten suspicious. So she brought the bomber with her. There were charges set up all along the gas lines under the street. JJ and Rossi were calling the Bomb Squad in when Tara and Morgan spotted the woman who was activating it. They took her out, and evacuated the rest of the restaurant. Garcia got in and stalled the bomb while they got the phone trigger away from the bomber," Reid told her, looking up at the stars. "And then there were four of us. JJ and Rossi were coordinating the effort outside once the Bomb Squad got underground."

"So that's when she had a gun to your head," Piper reasoned. "And then what?"

"We basically convinced her that her dad was outside in custody, and that she could testify against him when we took him to trial for killing her mother. We got her to give herself up and led her to the police van before she realized we didn't have her dad. But we got her."

"Spence, I can't believe you," Piper sighed, kicking up some sand with the toe of her boot. "I really can't believe you were so willing to put yourself in danger… then again, I can't believe that we do that all the time."

"I know. All I could think about when she had that gun to my head was that I had to keep talking to get out of there. I spun her a story so I could get back to you and the kids… You were all I could think of, since I knew that if Morgan had to shoot, she'd take me down with her."

"I'm just glad you're okay, and that I never have to deal with her again. Something about her…" Piper shook her head. "You know, I've worked with some of the worst serial killers on the planet, but there's something about her that just unnerves me more than all of the others."

"Female psychopaths are much more rare and therefore -"

"Spence, I don't need to know how it works, I just need to know that you're going to be alright."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"How's your mom?" She gave him a look, adding, "You've been worrying about her a whole lot, and you're needlessly defensive. I know you're not telling me half of what's happening every time you fly out there. Spence, is she really okay?"

He sighed, avoiding eye contact. "She… I went to visit her, since they said they'd seen a change in her, but they thought it was just because of the medication. But when I walked in, there were about five seconds where… where I knew she didn't recognize me. She went for a test the next day, and they called me that night. She's got early-onset dementia, probably Alzheimer's."

"Oh my god, Spence, you should have told me… Do you know -"

"I know what you're going to ask. I'm too young to get tested for the chromosomal markers. I won't know… I have to get used to the not knowing. But even if I do know, there's not much I can do about it. You know, I thought I dodged a bullet when I turned 30 and didn't have a schizophrenic break," he admitted, turning to Piper. She frowned, squeezing his hand. "But now I don't know. And to think that now Sophie's got twice as much to have to dodge in the future… Piper, I can't…"

"I know." She swung over to give him a hug, the two of them sitting in silence for a while. "It's going to be okay. And if anything happens, I promise I'll be right here with you. We'll figure this out."


	60. Derek

_She was beautiful. She was smiling at him, but there was some sort of sadness in her eyes. Something he just couldn't place. How did he know her? Her glasses looked familiar, and he knew the way her hair fell around her shoulders. He knew it well, but he couldn't place it. Did they work together? No, he recognized her, but he felt that he knew her too well for that. He knew the way she stood, the way she moved, the thoughts behind her eyes. But how?_

 _Then there was the little girl she was holding, her brown hair braided with ribbons. She was laughing and reaching out to him, trying to say something. And the boy who stood next to them, his sandy hair sticking up in a few places. His mother - the red haired woman - could never get it to stick down, and the boy really didn't care. But wait, how did he know that? How did he know who they were?_

" _Spencer?" The woman reached out for him, taking his hand. "Spence, it's me."_

" _What?"_

" _Spence, it's me."_

" _I don't know… I'm sorry, who…?"_

" _I'm your wife, Spence." Her face fell, realizing that he had no idea who she was. He glanced down at his left hand, seeing the wedding band that he'd gotten engraved so long ago before looking up at the three of them. "These are your kids. How can you not remember us? Spence, please tell me this is a joke… Spence…"_

"Spence?" Piper shook his shoulder, Reid waking up quickly. "Spence, it's me. Get up."

"What? Oh, Piper, oh my god, Piper, I…" He ran a hand through his hair, saying, "I had this dream about forgetting everything, forgetting you and the kids and, well, everything."

"It's okay, Spence. I know you're scared, but you're not losing your mind, I promise. It's going to be okay." She sat up in bed, saying, "I'm going to make us some coffee. You should probably get up and take a shower. You'll feel better."

"Yeah, I… yeah," he nodded, kissing her on the cheek and getting out of bed. Piper waited until she heard the shower turn on to get out of bed, head downstairs, and start making coffee.

Piper was making breakfast when Garcia texted, saying that they needed to meet up as soon as possible. Her phone started ringing seconds later, Garcia sounding close to tears. "It's Morgan. Savannah called, Morgan's been kidnapped. Three attackers, and she thinks he was drugged."

"I'll get Reid. We'll be there soon," she promised, already racing up the stairs two at a time. She talked into the shower curtain, saying, "Morgan's been kidnapped, Spence. He got drugged by three guys in a parking lot. Garcia's running cell records now. I'm going to get the kids up. There's coffee and I've eggs downstairs… can you get them together while I get ready?"

"Sure, yeah. How long has he been gone?" he asked. "Do they know anything about what happened?"

"Just a couple of hours. You all got back from the case, he ran out to get some ice cream for Savannah, and that's when it happened. It took Hotch and Garcia a little while to get Savannah and everything… it's still early."

Piper ended up dropping the kids off with Jessica and racing to the BAU with Reid, the two of them speculating about who could have been behind it. "We'll look into the hitmen, but it could have been someone else entirely. This doesn't seem like their signature," Reid was saying as they parked. "I'm sure Hotch is going to want you with Savannah, since you've got more psych training than the rest of us combined. Well, except for Tara. But he'll want you with her. I'll keep you updated."

"Of course." She turned to her husband, grabbing his hand and saying, "Spence, if I don't see you for a while, remember… I love you. And I want you to be careful, because this shit hits way too close to home sometimes. Bring him back to us. Get my friend back." Piper gave him a kiss, the two of them jumping out of the car, Reid splitting off for the BAU while Piper headed down to her office.

She found Garcia waiting for her, the technical analyst giving her a hug. "I'm trying to track every electronic device in the vicinity right now, but I'm not getting far. There's a satellite phone that's my best bet, but…"

"Penelope, listen to me," Piper held her by the shoulders, nodding. "Listen. They're going to get him back. No matter what, I swear to you, Derek Morgan is going to walk into your office to bother you about tracking down an unsub again. He's going to call you and ask his baby girl for help again. He's coming back, Garcia. Don't worry. Spence is going to find him for us. Right now we need to focus on helping Morgan and helping Savannah."

"Right. Right," Garcia stepped back, going to sit down by her computer. "I'm still running an analysis of Morgan's phone and his work computer."

"Good. I'm going to go get Savannah. She's going to need to pack a bag and move in here for a little while, just in case they're watching her. Hotch is probably going to want you to come with us - he'll need you to analyze all of their internet connections and devices there too, in case someone got in that way," Piper told her as she headed for the stairs. She would find Savannah in Hotch's office, pacing as she glanced over to the computer, looking at a map of the area. "Hey. How are you doing?"  
Savannah shook her head, Piper moving to give her a hug. "I was going to tell him tonight…"

"I know," Piper sighed. "But you're going to tell him when we get him back. I know how you feel. I know how hard it was when Spence… every time I've almost had him ripped away from me, every time I thought I might have to tell the kids… but our team's never failed to get him back home to me, and they're going to bring Derek back to you." She paused for a moment before adding, "Garcia and I are going to bring you home so you can grab a few things. We're going to keep you here with us. Penelope's going to look into your Internet, just in case that's how they found out when Derek would be out."

"Okay. I.. yes. Let's go."

Piper led her out the door, noticing that the team had disappeared into the conference room. "C'mon. Let's go get Garcia."

While Piper and Savannah packed a bag, Garcia hooked her computer into the Internet in Morgan and Savannah's house. She was still typing away as Piper made tea from them all, finally announcing that there was a link through CIA channels. Something didn't seem right about it, but "that's what I'm working with here." Garcia looked up at Piper, who was standing next to her, looking over her shoulder at the computer. "There's a CIA connection for sure, but it could be someone gone rogue or… or anyone with connections to the CIA at all. I've got to get this to Hotch."

"Call him on the way back to the BAU," Piper instructed, picking up their coffee cups and going to put them into the sink. "We've got to get back there. You need your workstation, and we've got to make sure Savannah's safe."

"I've got better equipment there," Garcia nodded as she shut her computer down. "Maybe I can get one of the phones to ping again - especially that sat phone. I get that one to connect and I can get an address." Piper nodded, thinking she should just drug her and Savannah like Hotch did to her and call it a night. Both of them were incredibly nervous, but it helped having the two of them together. Piper drove back to the office, the two of them sitting in the back of her car, exchanging a few worried words.

When they got back to the BAU, Piper checked in with the others, letting Savannah take a moment to herself and making sure Garcia got back to work alright. A little while later, Garcia ran in to Piper's office, telling her, "Get everybody in the conference room. I've got a lead."

Piper gathered the team while Garcia set up in the conference room, telling them that she had gotten a ping off of the satellite phone. All they needed was a sustained call - it just had to connect - to get an address. "I have it narrowed down to a 20-mile radius in the Virginia woods," Garcia was saying. "Wait, there's another - it's connected. I've got you… Go. The address is on your phones. Go."

"Spence, go get him for me," Piper pressed, taking his hand from across the table as everyone gathered their things, agreeing to meet in the tactical operations room. Reid nodded, giving her a quick kiss before heading out of the door.

Piper set off to find Savannah, telling her that the team was on the way. "We're going to meet them at the hospital," she said, grabbing Savannah's bag. "They're going to bring him in for a full work-up, even if he's okay. I'll drive."

They picked Garcia up on their way to the parking garage, speeding to the hospital and meeting the ambulance and the rest of the team there. Piper let Savannah and Garcia go into the room as she looked in, pacing up and down the hall. "Hey." She turned to see Reid jogging towards her, sweeping her into a hug as soon as he reached her. "Hey. We got him back. He's not doing so well, but he's going to make it."

"Thank goodness," Piper sighed, nearly collapsing against him. "What the hell happened, Spence?"

"We don't know everything," Reid admitted, holding on to his wife. "But we're going to keep hunting until we do. The official investigation might be over, but I talked to almost everyone else, and they're all going to do more work on this in their spare time."

"Of course we will," Piper vowed, stepping back and taking his hand. "C'mon, let's go get some coffee. I have a feeling we're going to be here for a while." She led him down the hall, stopping at a coffee machine and fishing a few quarters out of her purse. "You want one?"

"Please." He leaned against the wall while Piper put quarters into the machine. Reid blinked slowly, thinking about the dream he had had. _I want to remember her. I want to remember all of this. I've got to memorize every second of this. I've got to. I've got to…_ "Piper?"

"Yeah?" She looked over from where she was fighting with the machine, trying to get it to add cream and sugar into her cup.

"I was gonna be his best man," he sighed, shaking his head. "I already started working on the speech and everything."

"You're going to be his best man, Spence. He's going to make it. The doctors are saying he's looking better every minute," she assured him, handing him a cup of coffee as she continued to fight with the machine. "He's going to be okay. Hell, your chemistry knowledge probably saved his life. You and your life-saving experiments, Spence. You've got to hold on to that."

"I know, but he… he's my brother, Pipes. He's my brother, and I hate to see anything like this happen…"

"He's gonna be okay, Spence. He's gonna be okay, and we're all gonna be here for him when he wakes up. Now if this damn machine would -"

"Dr. Reid," one of the nurses stepped into the room, both of the Dr. Reids looking to her. "He's stable. He's going to make it. Your team wanted me to tell you."

Piper smiled, giving Reid a hug. "I told you he would make it."


	61. Morgan

It was late, Piper getting ready to settle into bed. Reid had called, saying he was signing out of the office and would be home on his way home soon. The kids had been put to bed, and she had just finished her book when her phone rang. "Savannah's been shot. I've got to get down to the scene. We need you."

"I'll get the kids," Piper sighed, hopping out of bed and grabbing her glasses from the nightstand. "I wish we could have one normal night once in a while, you know?"

"Yeah, it seems like this stuff happens a lot. But I promise you, after this, we'll pick a restaurant, have a nice date night -"

"I'll meet you there, Spence." She went to wake up Nate, telling Reid, "You're on, by the way. Make some reservations. Hey, Nate, I know it's late, buddy, but we've got to get up. Yeah, I've got to go to work. But you're going to go sleep over with Henry. Uncle Will's home. C'mon, let's go get your sister ready."

She dropped the kids off with Will, who gave her a hug, taking Nate's bag and balancing Sophia's carrier in the crook of his arm. "Henry's inside getting the bunk beds set up," he told Nate, who bounded inside and up the stairs. He turned to Piper, saying, "Make sure she gets out of this okay, will you? She's just as much a part of the family as the rest of us."

"I will," she vowed, kissing her sleeping daughter and giving Will another hug. "I'll keep you updated."

"Thanks," Will nodded, Piper heading back to her car as Will went inside.

She drove over to the scene, practically stopping on the hospital's doorstep. The rest of the team was already there, half of them still outside and half of them gathered in the conference room that Garcia had set up. Piper went to find Reid, giving him a strong hug. "How's he doing?"

"He's… well, like you'd expect. He hates that he's got to wait, that no one is telling him anything, everything I was going through when you got shot," Reid told her. "He's doing just about as well."

"I'm going to go talk to him," she resolved, checking in with Rossi and Hotch before going to find Morgan in a waiting room. "I don't have news about her, I'm sorry," she began, giving him a hug and taking a seat next to him. "But I do know that we've all been working on this on the side, so we're pretty far ahead, in relative terms."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Morgan asked, getting up to pace a bit.

"It means we've already got these guys tracked down. Garcia's just got to prove it, and we can start moving in. We're pretty far ahead," she assured him. "We're working on it. Just give us time. Just a little more time."

"Hotch pulled me off of the case," Morgan told her, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but I don't quite agree with that," Piper admitted with a shrug. "I worked on all of the cases Spence was involved it. I know he doesn't like it when active cases get personal, but I know Spence would… he'd stop at nothing to get information on someone who shot me, because he has. And I'd do the same for him. So I know how you're feeling, and I know you want to help. Derek, you're my friend. There's no way I'm standing in between you and this case."

"Thank you," Morgan nodded. "I'm not going to ask you to go behind Hotch's back, but anything you could tell me -"

"Of course. I'll let you know what we know as soon as I have anything," she promised, standing and heading for the door. "I've got to meet up with the others, see what they've got to work with. Garcia's pulling security footage, and knowing her, we'll have a name before she's out of surgery. Just concentrate on her right now."

"The Montolo crime family is bigger than we thought," Rossi told her as Piper walked into the room where Garcia had been set up. "Giuseppe Montolo's father, Chazz, is our guy. He had faked his death in a bank fire, but Garcia got him leaving the hospital right after the shooting."

"He called me… that creep was the one who called me, not an orderly," Garcia added as Piper moved to look over her shoulder. "He was right there all along and he called me, Piper."

"I know," she nodded, putting a hand on Garcia's shoulder. "I know, he found us. But this time, we're going to find him first."  
JJ appeared in the doorway a moment later, saying, "Look at this. I found a note in the payphone Montolo used to call Garcia. He's trying to communicate with us." She held up a piece of paper. "I know it means something, but Morgan's not talking."

"I'll get Spence to talk to him," Piper nodded, texting Reid while she spoke. "I'm sure he'll be able to get something out of him."

"That's not going to work," Reid answered, appearing in the doorway. "Morgan's gone. I went to go look for him like you messaged me, and he's not in the waiting room, and he's not in Savannah's room. He's gone."

"I've got him on tape," Garcia called, the group assembling by her computer. "I've got him leaving the ER and heading out to his car."

"He's gone," Hotch reported a few minutes later. He was on the phone when he got back to them, trying to get ahold of Morgan. "Listen to me, I know how you feel. But we need you here right now. Savannah needs you here right now," Hotch tried to reason. Garcia was trying to run a trace on the signal as Hotch talked. "We all need you here."

Morgan hung up the call, Garcia cursing under her breath and telling them that the trace had stopped. "I think he dumped his phone," she fretted, trying to see if she could find anything. "I'm working all of the magic I can here, but I think he doesn't want us to know where he is."

"'I see red'," Piper quoted, looking at the note they had pinned on the wall. "'I see red'... What if it's literal? He's headed to a red house he's restored, something like that."

"A red house? I've got one with a red door," Garcia told them, looking between the agents. "Sending the address now. Go get my boy."

"I'll stay with Savannah," Piper promised, heading out with the others and splitting off at her room. Savannah was asleep for the moment, just coming out of the medically induced coma the doctors had put her in. She had been told to rest, that they would be back in to look at her soon. Piper sat down next to her, thinking of how many times she had been in a bed like that. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, shaking her head. "You don't deserve any of this. You deserve a happy family, a happy little kid who doesn't have to worry about his mom and dad all of the time. I wish things could be different for Nate and Sophie, but… well, Spence and I aren't leaving for a while. There's no way anyone could drag us away from our jobs. But still, I feel bad for the kids."

"Dr. Reid, right?" Piper looked up at the woman who had walked into the room, realizing who she was instantly. "How's the little girl? She'd be what, two by now?"

"Almost three. Sophie's doing great," she smiled, giving the woman who had delivered her child a hug. "She's getting so big now, Spence and I are glad that she can walk and we finally don't have to carry her around all day. How have you been?"

"Doing pretty well. But Mrs. Morgan here," the doctor sighed, looking to Savannah. "She's going to need an emergency C-section. "That gunshot did a whole lot to her system. It'll be a preemie, but we're well within the safe zone. Have you gotten ahold of her husband yet?"

Piper unconsciously lowered her voice a little, even though Savannah was still asleep. "We're thinking more and more that he' been taken hostage. We haven't heard a thing since his phone dropped off the radar. Garcia, our technical analyst, is trying to track him down, but she's not coming up with much."

The doctor nodded grimly, saying, "We've still got to wake her up and get her into the OR again. I'll give you some time to talk to her, but we're still going to have to do this as soon as we can. I'll be back in fifteen, twenty minutes, tops."

"Okay." Piper watched her go before gently shaking Savannah's shoulder, explaining what was about to happen and that Morgan was on his way back. He'd headed out to check on a lead and he was racing back, she promised. He would be back well before the surgery started, since they had a lot of prep work to do beforehand. And besides, she would be there the whole time, keeping Savannah company before the prep work started. "I'm going to let Garcia know, and then I'll be right back, and I won't leave your side unless they pick me up and move me out of here," Piper assured her, giving her hand a squeeze before heading over to where Garcia was set up.

Garcia looked up at her nervously, putting her phone on speaker and mouthing, "It's Derek. The team's on the way, but…"

"Derek, you've got to make it back here," Piper pled, sitting down next to Garcia as the two of them stared at her phone. "Savannah needs you here. I'm talking to you as a wife and a mother, if Spence was in danger, I know he would do anything to get back to his family. I know you would too, Derek. I know how much you love the both of them, how your eyes light up when you talk about Savannah and the baby. I was at your wedding, Derek. You're meant for each other, and you're going to be great parents. You've got to make it back to them. You've got to be prepared to do anything."

"Pipes, he's got a gun to my head, two bullets in the chamber. There's no way I'm going to be able to make it back." Morgan was trying to keep his voice level. "This is all my fault, you understand? No one else's. Promise me you'll look after Savannah and my baby."

"Derek, you have to fight this," Piper begged, Garcia gripping her hand. "You've got to make it back here."

"Remember what I told you during the last kidnapping? Just remember that, Piper. Goodbye, everyone." There was a gunshot, the call dropping as Garcia gasped.

"What did he tell you?"

Piper smiled, telling Garcia that, "We were talking about fighting to get back. That we would do anything to get back to our families, because there's no way we'd let a kidnapper win that easy. He didn't just get shot, he either shot the guy or knocked the gun out of his hand. He'll be back here. I know it."

Garcia pursed her lips, saying nothing more until the team called, reporting that they had Morgan and were on their way back to the hospital. Piper was in with Savannah, constantly telling her that he would make it back in time, all the while checking the clock and praying that the team would get there soon. She was extremely relieved when Morgan ran in to the prep room, already clad in scrubs. As quietly as she could, Piper sidled out of the room and rejoined the others, who were talking to Garcia in the conference room that she had commandeered hours earlier. She took Reid's hand, listening to the others and letting a wave of exhaustion finally wash over her. _Morgan's safe. Savannah's safe. They're going to have a baby soon, and they're all going to be happy. You can breathe._

"Piper?"

"Yeah, sorry, Spence, what's up?"

"I heard what you said earlier, when you were on the phone with him," Reid told her, the two of them breaking off from the group, which was currently speculating about baby names. "And you were right. I'd do anything to get back to you and the kids."

"I know," she smiled, giving him a hug. "Spence, I'm so glad he's back."

"Me too." Reid kissed the top of her head, promising, "Date night tomorrow, okay? No matter what. Even if we end up across the country, we'll go out somewhere. I'll get Hotch to let you come with us."

"Really?" she laughed.

"On the off chance we're actually still here, I've got reservations somewhere. Just be out of bed and ready by seven."

"How do you know I was planning on sleeping in after this one?"

Reid shrugged. "I just know things. C'mon, let's go wait with the others. It shouldn't be too long now, since they were prepped and ready to go almost as soon as we got here."

He was right - it wasn't long until Morgan ran out of the OR, joyfully announcing that, "It's a boy!" The team moved in for a group hug, everyone offering their congratulations, asking about names and (especially in Garcia's case) godparents. Morgan said a few words, thanking them all before disappearing back into the room to be with his wife and child. The team would have to wait to visit them, so they all headed for the cafeteria, grabbing cups of coffee and snacks while they speculated about whether he would look more like Savannah or Morgan, whether or not he would be good at football, and how much more the BAU brood of kids would grow over time.

Piper was just happy to settle in next to Reid, who put his arm around her as he was talking. Every time one of them was in danger, she was always so glad when he would come home safely. Even if it was late at night and she just saw his shadow walk in and lay down next to her, she was grateful that he was back in one piece. And she knew Savannah felt the same.

While the rest of the team was hovering over Savannah and the baby, Piper caught a moment with Morgan. "Congratulations again, Derek. He's a handsome little kid for sure. You two are going to have your hands full with him. What do you think is going to be your last day?"

"How the heck do you know that? I told Hotch not even ten minutes ago," Morgan marvelled.

"I know, well, I assumed," she said, "but every parent would take some time off. Given what you've just been through, what Savannah's been through, you wouldn't want to put your kid through something like that. So you'll extend your leave as long as you can, and then realize that you're happy being home at normal hours and that you want it to stay like that. So you'll call Hotch and tell him you're officially resigning. You just skipped all of that, since you'd thought it out already. As soon as you were kidnapped and realized that Savannah was pregnant, you knew what you would end up doing. The last 24 hours just cemented it."

"Well, you're right. But don't tell the rest of the team just yet, okay? Well, you can talk to Reid, since I'm sure he's already picked up on it. Even if he hasn't, he'll see you and know," Morgan sighed, looking back to where the team was fawning over the newest Morgan. "Just don't tell the others. I want to do it myself."

"Of course." She moved to head back towards the others, but Morgan stopped her for a second.

"I know how proud you were when you two finally got Nate, and when Sophia was born, man, you and Reid didn't stop smiling for weeks. I finally know what that's like, and I can't believe it."

"Well, it gets a little less great when you have to deal with all of the crying, and when they get sick, oh, and the diapers… but you'll always be happy to have them, and you'll always be grateful. You won't be able to imagine your life without them," she beamed, watching Reid hold the baby. "You know, they love when he comes home. Nate always runs up and gives him a hug, and Sophie'll run around the house going 'Dad home' until Spence or I pick her up… I'm glad you're going to be there with him all the time. I know Spence and I could never give it up. Oh, and that means I can get you to babysit."

"Any time," Morgan laughed, the two of them heading back to rejoin the others.


	62. Richard Speck

"Son of Sam copycat?" Piper asked, reading over the file that Garcia had sent her. "It's the same neighborhood and the same type of weapon. It looks like we've got another .44 caliber killer. We can't go in on this one, though. We haven't been invited, and it's not serial yet."

"Not if you read that file on its own," Garcia said, the others opening the second file she had sent. "There was also a copycat of Jack the Ripper in London, Chikatilo in Russia, and the Boston Strangler. Someone thinks they're all connected."

"Who brought this to us, Garcia?" Reid questioned, turning the page of his paper files. "You said someone's been connecting them. Who?"

"Emily. She was working on the Ripper case… someone she worked with got killed on that one, the poor thing. She's flying out to meet you all in Boston."

"Wheels up in thirty," Hotch nodded, turning his tablet off. "Garcia, I want you looking into people who are extremely mobile - people with money who travel a lot, businessmen who travel for work, even diplomats are possible. Start looking into those who were in all of the cities when the murders happened."

"He only operates between March and October," Tara added. "He has to have a job or something that keeps him busy then. Something thrill-seeking, like drug dealing or organized crime, since he seems to enjoy traveling and gets off on the danger of it all."

"Imitating serial killers is fairly common," Piper said as they stood. "If you don't mind, Hotch, I want to come with on this one. I think Tara and i would both be pretty helpful here."

"Of course," Hotch agreed. "We'll need your insight. Like I said, wheels up in thirty, everyone." He headed out to his office, calling his sister-in-law as he walked into his office and grabbed his go-bag.

On the plane, Piper started looking into the Berkowitz case, trying to recall the details. Something seemed off, something she couldn't quite place. Reid sat down next to her, asking, "You think it's odd too that the shooting was only one person, right?"

"That's it!" She set her tablet aside, giving him a hug. "Thank you. I've been trying to figure it out for an hour, but I'd never done too much reading on the Son of Sam until now. I knew I was missing something - that this case was missing something. The blood-splatter pictures didn't match with what he did… there was someone else in that car, Spence. I know it. He wouldn't have shot them if there wasn't/ That wasn't Son of Sam, so it wouldn't be our unsub."

Rossi agreed, sitting down across from them. "Our unsub has, so far, followed the patterns of the other killers he's imitated. That means he'll be hunting again soon. We've got to stop him before he does."

"Six killed and eight wounded," Piper recounted, looking to Reid, who nodded. "That means he would have wounded the other person in the car." She called Garcia, asking her to, "Look into anyone in the area who was hospitalized for a gunshot wound. They would be someone who covered it up, saying they got mugged or in a hunting accident or calling it a gun-cleaning incident. They don't want to be involved in a shooting like this, so they've got to be someone with a job that -"

"Monica Harrison, a nice young lady, but she's got a history of dabbling in prostitution," Garcia interrupted. "It looks like she only did it when she was running out of money, since she's in school and can't pick up a lot of hours at work. Sending you her information right now."

"I'll head down there and talk to her," JJ volunteered, coming to sit by them.

"I'll come with you, unless Piper wants to go," Tara added from her seat. "You're going to need someone who's trained to deal with trauma victims like that."

"Go. I want to look into the scene," Piper told her, Hotch nodding in agreement.

Hotch had a bit to add. "Reid, I'm going to need a geographic profile, compared to that of the real Son of Sam. It'll help us increase patrols around where he's going to attack next, even if it's an entire neighborhood. He's going to stick to the original timeline and keep with Berkowitz's MO as much as he can, and we need to know where he's going to strike next. You can get set up at the police station when we land. We should be on the ground in twenty minutes or so."

The team split up when they landed, Tara and JJ going to check on Monica Harrison, while the others went to the police station to set up and meet Emily, who was beaming as soon as they walked in. "Hey, you," Piper smiled. "How's it going?"

"I've missed you all so much," Prentiss said, pulling her into a hug. "I wish I could have been there to see Sophie… the photos are cute, and the Skyping is great, but I can't wait to meet her. Hotch told you I took enough time to fly back to DC with you all, right?"

"That's great. Want to come with on -"

A police officer appeared in the doorway of the room they had set up in. "Sorry about cutting the reunion short, folks, but there's been another shooting."

"We're on it," Piper and Prentiss nodded, taking the address from the officer and wishing the others good luck on their work. "We'll see what we can do."

The scene wasn't too far away, but the drive did give them some more time to catch up. With the kids, Piper and Reid hadn't been able to make it to London, and Prentiss hadn't been state-side in a while. It had been years, in fact, since she hadn't met Sophie at all. "Something about this doesn't look right," Piper frowned as soon as she got out of the car. "These people… this is a luxury car."

"Son of Sam didn't act like this," Emily agreed, pulling on a pair of gloves that one of the responding officers offered her. "Look, they're not dressed like his victims would have been, and they're considerably older than -"

Piper bent to look in the car. "Is that what I think it is? Emily, can you open his mouth?" Prentiss pried open the driver's mouth, pulling out a gold watch. She held it up in the light of a streetlamp, looking for a maker's mark in the dimly-lit alley. "I think it's a Rolex. A real Rolex."

"This isn't Berkowitz at all," Prentiss determined. "He's changing his MO. It looks like he's punishing them for having money. Do you think it's a self-loathing thing? Or maybe it's something against people with money. But that would go against everything he's done up until now. He's stuck so close to the other killers he's copied… why would that change?"

"He's evolving. He's developing his own style, which means he's getting closer to what he really wants. We should call the others. We're going to need to deliver the profile sooner rather than later. If he's developing his own style, he's not going to stick with Berkowitz for long. He'll pick a different killer that better matches his own desires until he gets comfortable enough to shed the copycat suit once and for all. He's started to figure out what he wants, which mans he's getting more sophisticated in his own way."

Prentiss agreed, peeling off her gloves. "He won't stay in New York for too long. If he's even remotely following Berkowitz any more, he'll try for another shooting tonight. So we've got to increase patrols wherever Spence profiles the next killing is going to be, and we've got to do it tonight. And if there's no killing…"

"He's moved on," Piper finished as they said goodbye to the officers and forensics team on the scene. "Can you give everyone a call while we're on the road? We've got to get a patrol going as soon as we can… it's already dark out, so if he's hunting, he's hunting now."

"I don't think he's hunting," Reid told them as soon as they walked in. "If he's evolving, he's heading back towards the person he really wants to target. Garcia's still looking into his job, but there's got to be… Chicago."

"What?" Rossi asked, making his way over to the map that Reid was looking at. "What about Chicago?"

Pointing towards the pile of arrows he had stuck to the city of Chicago, Reid explained. "Theses are all the big serial killers of the 1960s through the 80s. There's a huge concentration of them in the Midwest - lots of the big ones like Gacy and Dahmer. But Chicago, it's a port city with a history of killers and easy access to different types of transportation. I've already looked into it - there's a bus that left here for Chicago a few hours ago, and several flights. I'm thinking he'll be traveling by bus, though, since -"

"We're flying out," Hotch interrupted, grabbing the files on the table that they had been using. "There hasn't been a killing for hours now. Like Reid said, there are a ton of people from the Midwest that he could be imitating. I've already alerted the Chicago field office, but we've got to get out there as quickly as we can."

"No leads on the job market?" Piper asked on the plane as they called Garcia.

"No diplomats, CEOs, or known drug dealers that are moving in all of the same circles as our unsub," Garcia frowned. "Seasonal work isn't panning out either."

"What about fishermen? Monica Harrison mentioned something about seeing a thin knife, like the kind fishermen carry," Tara suggested, Garcia beginning to type. "Limit the search to men working on fishing boats, some that make a lot of money in a short amount of time, maybe ones based in Chicago or the other port cities."

"White males, usual age range," Rossi contributed, Garcia narrowing her search.

"I've still got a lot of people."

"Add earlier convictions for anything with violent tendencies. And try someone based in Chicago. He's got to be looking for someone there," JJ added as Garcia worked.

"I've added a few search parameters of my own, O faithful friends. You're looking for a crab fisherman, Michael Lee Peterson from Joilet, Illinois," Garcia reported, pulling up a picture for all of them to see. "I've already sent his information to your tablets, and I'm tracking any calls for assaults, murders, et cetera in Chicago, and might I tell you, there's a whole lot of nasty business going on."

"Thanks, Garcia," Hotch said as Garcia hung up. "Who is he going to be imitating?"

"Well, Gacy's not his style. He's stuck to adults, and I'd say he's after a woman," Tara began. "Most killers like this are. Building up his courage to come into contact with them. He's returning home for a reason."

"Who killed adult women in Chicago? Well, there's -"

"Richard Speck," Piper determined. She'd been thinking about that for a while, actually. A serial killer that fit their type from Chicago. Speck fit perfectly. "He systematically raped and murdered eight girls at a nursing college. We've got to get all Chicago colleges and universities on alert. He'll be acting like a student, a professor, someone working at the school or in the area. That's how he'll approach the girls, just to see where they live, what they're doing, if they have night classes. He'll probably try to charm them, just like Bundy did. But there won't be any necrophilia involved. It's going to be rape and murder, likely all in one hall."

"I'll have Garcia get a warning out to the institutions," Hotch said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "When we get there, I'm going to need some of you at every nearby campus, starting from the bus station and moving outwards."

Hotch's plan was reasonable, but by the time they landed, Garcia had them on a different track. She had been monitoring all 911 calls from college campuses and nearby apartments, and had gotten a hit. There was a call to an FBI hotline, but it had been dropped seconds after the responding agent had said hello. They were on their way to the school when they got another call, saying that Peterson had taken some hostages.

Half of them rushed into the dormitory from the front doors, the others taking a side. "Get back in your rooms," Piper told a couple of girls standing in the hallway. They obeyed, but mumbled something about noise down the hallway.

When she, JJ, and Hotch arrived, there was a lot of noise happening at the end of the hall. Prentiss had just shot Peterson, Piper running up behind her as she lowered her gun and reached out for the girl that he had been holding hostage. "Emily -"

"Not now."

Piper nodded, taking a step back and out of the door. "I'll be here, when you're ready." She sat down in the hall, letting the local police come in and start talking to the girls. She watched as the forensics team came in to take Peterson's body away, and watched as they carried him out in a body bag. She was still there when Reid crouched down next to her, asking if she was okay. "I'm waiting for Emily," she told him, giving her husband a kiss. "She's with the girls. I think I'm going to have her stay on our couch when we get back to DC."

"That's a good idea," Reid nodded, sitting down next to her and taking her hand. "She's going to need someone like you after this." Piper agreed, leaning her head on his shoulder for a couple of seconds. "She needs to be with old friends… you'll be the best thing for her."

"I'm going to see if they're ready," Piper resolved a few minutes later, slowly standing. Reid smiled a bit, wishing her luck. "Emily? C'mon, we've got to let them get some help. And some rest."


	63. The Storm

It started out like any other morning, Piper getting Nate ready for school and Sophie ready for preschool, making breakfast and sliding a cup of coffee across the counter for Reid while drinking her own. But the phone call changed everything. Her cell started ringing as she was clearing away the breakfast dishes, Reid helping Sophie jump down from her seat. "It's Rossi. Give me a sec," she told him, Reid nodding and saying that he would get the kids' lunches and meet her in the car. When she went to find them, she had a different plan in mind. "We're taking the kids with us. JJ and Will are bringing Jack, Henry and Michael too." She lowered her voice so only Reid could her. "Hotch was arrested. Something about explosives charges, domestic terrorism."

"They must know he's being set up," Reid whispered as they backed out of the driveway.

Piper agreed. "That's what the team thinks, but the DOJ not so much. Whoever did this… we can only assume he's got to be targeting all of us. I've already called their schools and explained as much as I could. I'm probably going to end up staying behind with Will and making sure they're all okay, especially Jack. I'll run things from home base and manage the kids. All of our cases are out the window until we prove he's innocent. I'm not forwarding anything until then. Hotch is being held at DOJ. We'll start there."

As soon as they got there, Nate ran over to Henry and Jack, telling them hi and starting to chatter. Piper had picked up Sophie, who was looking around the office. She hadn't been there for a long time, and since she was so young, it was like a new experience all over again. Piper stopped Reid at the elevator doors. "Spence, keep Will and I in the loop, okay?"

"Of course."

"And be careful, honey. I know you and I have the same gut feeling. It's a Mr. Scratch type of thing."

"Pipes, he's in prison. He's never getting out."

"I know, but this feels like his type of thing, manipulating everyone into turning against each other. Into turning against Hotch. Making all of us doubt what's real and what isn't," Piper mapped out.

Reid gave her a hug, saying, "It does, but it's not him. I'll see you later, okay? Bye Sophie."

"Bye Daddy," Sophie smiled, waving at Reid as he gave them both a kiss. He smiled back, nodding at Piper before heading into the bullpen.

Sophie and Piper went to find Will, who was busy rocking a sleeping Michael in her office. "I hope you don't mind that I broke in," he laughed, Piper raising an eyebrow when he saw him in her chair. "Nah, Garcia opened the door for me. We're keeping the kids down here with us, since it's safer. She's rounding the boys up and bringing them down here now."

"I can't believe this," Piper sighed, setting Sophie down and taking a blanket out of her bag, spreading it out on the floor and taking some of Sophie's toys out. "I can't believe something like this would happen to Hotch of all people."

"Hey there, crime-fighters," Garcia smiled, popping her head into the door. "I've got the boys with me, but I figured I'd tell you that the 911 call was definitely spliced together from parts of press conferences Hotch has given and presentations he's been a part of," she told them. "They're holding him on buying materials for explosives in huge amounts. Uh, what else? The team thinks it's a distraction from something bigger. Oh, and some of them are going to talk to Antonia, if you remember our lovely serial killer friend. They think she might be able to help. That's all I've got for now."

"Thanks, Garcia," Piper said, handing Sophie one of her favorite stuffed animals. "Keep us posted. And if you get sick of the kids, we'll take them off your hands."

As Garcia disappeared, Piper had Will hand her her laptop. "I think I've got an idea, but it's going to require a bit of research."

"Whatever you think, Pipes. I just don't want to see that little boy suffer anymore. To see your dad get arrested in front of you… that would scar anyone," Will sighed. "You know, I finally got this guy to sleep, and now's when I could go for a cup of coffee."

She pointed towards the cabinet behind her desk. "Coffee maker's in there. I don't think I have too much left, but I've got cream and sugar and some basic coffee. And some standard-issue FBI coffee mugs."

"Good enough for me," Will smiled, opening the cabinet with one hand and holding his son with the other. "You want some?"

"Sure. Cream and sugar." Piper kept typing, playing with Sophie at the same time. Sophie was absorbed in building something out of blocks when Piper exclaimed, "Garcia just texted me. She says the team found out that Antonia, our serial killer, has a son. His name's Asher Douglas. He's got something to do with it, but they aren't sure what. Spence and Rossi are heading out there to interview him now."

"And I know you found something," Will added, waiting for her to continue.

"You're right. JJ told you all about Mr. Scratch, right? Well, he apparently tried to testify against Hotch when he was arrested. He's got a part in this. He's had a part in this all along. I told Spence… I told him this all sounded like one of the mind games he would play. But it's definitely one of them now," she sighed, setting her laptop back on her desk and turning to Sophie, who had been trying to get her attention for a minute. "Oh, my, that's a nice tower you've got there, Sophie. Why don't we knock it over and make a castle? You brought some of your dolls, right? There we go."

"At least it's a bit of a lead," Will shrugged. "Oh crap, I think I woke him up. Hey there, bud, how ya doing?"

Garcia reappeared around lunch time, saying, "I'm taking the boys down to the cafeteria, if you want to come with."

They all took a field trip down to the cafeteria, grabbing lunch together as a BAU family. Garcia outlined what they had missed, telling them that Douglas was working with a friend, one who Hotch had profiled in the past. He'd ordered nitromethane, a component of many types of homemade bombs, in Hotch's name. Hotch is getting out soon, but this Mr. Scratch guy is really nasty. He'd also left a cryptic clue - "The storm breaks tonight". "That's as far as I got. Well, as much as the rest of the team has got for us right now," Garcia sighed over her sandwich. "You're the profiler. Tell me what it means."

"He's planning something bigger," Will chipped in, taking a bite of his food. "He's got to be working on something that's worse than getting Hotch arrested. It's something big, something that is going to try to knock this team off balance."

Piper nodded, wiping some ketchup off of Sophie's chin and handing her another chicken nugget. "'The storm breaks tonight'... well, whatever it is, we've only got a few hours to figure out what it is and how to stop it. It's kind of odd, thinking about how he said it. 'The storm breaks tonight.' He chose the word 'breaks' over 'strikes' or 'starts' or 'begins'. No, he chose 'breaks'. Oh my… Will, Penelope, he's planning a prison break."

"From where?"

"Mom, is this what you do all day?" Nate asked from where he was sitting with Henry and Jack. "I mean, Dad is out of town all of the time, but you work here, talking things over and coming up with ideas, right?"

"Yeah. And I figure out what cases to send Dad out on," she added. "And I help Aunt Penelope with research and local interviews. And you know I fly out sometimes, if it's something they need my help with. Well, now that they've got Tara, that's a little less often, but you know."

"So the guy you're trying to catch is going to break people out of prison?" Henry asked, all three boys turning to look at Piper, Garcia, and Will.

"If Aunt Piper thinks so, yeah," Will nodded. "I think so too."

"It's got to be VAMAX," Garcia determined, texting the team. "It's the closest, and there are a ton of people he would want out there."

"What about the bomb? You don't buy all of those bomb-making materials and not use them," Will brought up, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Garcia's phone had started to ring, the analyst getting up to answer it. When she returned, she said a few words to Piper, who turned to the others and told them, "I've got to go out there and help Uncle Spencer, Uncle Hotch, and Aunt JJ. They need someone like me down there. Will, would you mind -"

"I've got her," Will promised. "If Garcia ever lets go of her, that is."

"Good." She got up, giving Sophie and Nate a kiss goodbye. "We'll all be home soon, guys. I promise." Grabbing the remains of her sandwich, Piper headed out to meet the team. There had been a riot at VAMAX, and the prisoners had taken over several wings of the correctional facility. She drove as fast as she could, pulling up just as the team was pulling on bulletproof vests. "Hey. What's going on?"

"They've got at least three wings and the command center, maybe more," an officer told her. "And they've broken into the gun safe, so they're well-armed."

Piper nodded, grabbing a vest of her own. "Any idea how they're getting out of their cells?"

"They cut off the security cameras pretty early. We'd love to find out ourselves."

Rossi turned to the team, splitting them into groups to accompany different sections of the SWAT team that was assembling nearby. Before Piper and Tara followed their group in, Piper grabbed Reid's hand, telling him to wait a second. "I love you, Spence. Be careful."

"You too." He gave her a quick kiss, looking to where JJ was calling for him to join her and their SWAT team members. "I love you."

Piper jogged over to Tara, following her and the SWAT team as they approached the prison. "Do you two always do that?"

"Every time," Piper confirmed, looking over her shoulder at Reid one last time. "That's how we sign off every phone call too. I just… I want it to be the way we end our conversations, because so much can happen, especially in our line of work. In case anything ever happens, that's what I want him remembering me saying."

"It's sweet," Tara said as they entered the prison. "This room's clear!"

They kept clearing rooms, moving through cells until they reached a circular room, the SWAT team going on ahead. A door clicked, Tara turning to see that it had locked. Piper tried the door behind them, but it had been locked as well. "Tara," she whispered, "the doors are locked, and you know where we are, right?"

Tara nodded. She and Piper had interviewed over half of the men in this wing. Piper had even written about some of them in her book. "It's the serial killer wing."

"Hi there, pretty lady," one of the men smiled, Piper turning to him.

Tara turned too, the two of them standing back-to-back as the cell doors were opened one by one. "You might have enough bullets for all of us, but you can't shoot that fast."

"No, we can't," Piper acquiesced. "But you know us. It's been a long time, Mitch. Remember how many hours we sat and talked, eating burgers and discussing how you left all of those people in the forest?"

"Yeah, I remember you. You ever marry that guy?"

She smiled a bit. "We've got two kids now, Nate and Sophie. Nate's nine, almost ten - we adopted him when he was little. Sophie's going to be four in a couple of months. And Spence and I are happy."

"Won't be too happy when his kids don't have a mother," another gruff voice said, Tara training her gun on it's owner as his cell door opened. Door after door slowly popped open, the men starting to converge on them.

"You don't have to do this," Tara reasoned as they came closer.

"But we want to."

They were saved at the last possible moment, Hotch and half of the team breaking one of the doors down. They tried to reason with the men, but a few shots were fired before they got back into their cells and let them pass through. "The bomb's at the Ivory Tower. It's fundamentalist hideout," Hotch told them as they made their way outside. "SWAT's got this, with the help of the guards. They're taking the rest of the prison back now. Piper, I need you back at the Bureau while the rest of us head out there. I'm sure Will and Garcia are tearing their hair out with all of those kids."

"Yes, sir." She shed her bulletproof vest, tossing it in the pile in the back of one of their SUVs before pulling Reid into a hug. "I'll see you back there, Spence. I love you."

"I love you too." Reid watched her drive away before turning back to the team, which was dividing into SUVs to make their way to the fundamentalist safehouse.

Piper made it back to the BAU, immediately giving the kids a hug. "JJ sends her love," she told Will as she picked Sophie up from Garcia's office. "They're on their way to find out where the bombmakers are working, and what they're planning on targeting. We're thinking it'll be planted somewhere in central DC if they make it out of there."

"They better get him," Will sighed, shaking his head. "You know my history with bombers. They're some of the worst, some of the biggest cowards there are, watching people blow up from halfway across the world."

They took turns watching with Garcia as the team intercepted the bombers, dismantling the bomb before anything could happen. The Metro police followed them in, making a series of arrests. By the time everyone got back, Piper, Will, and Garcia were exhausted just watching and keeping track of them and the kids, but not too tired for a lot of happy family reunions. "Speaking of family," Rossi smiled as they all hugged each other, "there's someone I'd like you to meet. Dinner at my house in an hour. Bring the kids."  
They spent dinner talking to Rossi's ex-wife and current girlfriend, Hayden. However, it wasn't long before Garcia got a phone call, excusing herself to talk to someone from the Bureau. She returned with sad news, telling the kids to go play before they brought out dessert. Sophie and Michael had fallen asleep again, but the boys got up to run in the yard. "There were more prison breaks. We've got 13 serial killers on the loose in three different states. Including Mr. Scratch."

Piper squeezed Reid's hand under the table, the two of them exchanging a knowing glance. There was going to be a lot of work to do.


	64. The Real Crimson King

"How was Paris?" JJ asked, giving Piper a hug.

"It was great to get away, especially since we didn't have the kids. We ended up at the louvre and climbing the Eiffel Tower," she smiled. "And Reid's mom seems like she's doing better, which is the most important thing. She had a wonderful time."

"That's good. I know Spence has been trying to get her into a bunch of clinical trials, but he's got to take a moment to breathe," JJ sighed, looking to where Reid was making coffee. "It's stressing him out."

Piper agreed, looking over at him. He was saying hi to the new agent, Luke Alvez. Piper had met him at a conference, keeping in touch and working together a lot when Piper was writing her book, and they'd said hello earlier, while Reid was talking to Rossi. Alvez had come from the Fugitive Task Force, working on tracking down dangerous criminals all over the country. Before that, he'd been an Army Ranger, or so Piper had read. "How'd Garcia do taking over my job for a week?"

"Oh, she managed," Garcia laughed, coming up behind them to give Piper a hug. "How have you been? I missed you!"

"I missed you too," Piper beamed, hugging her back. "I'm glad you're not dying over doing my job too."

"Oh, no. We're down to five out of thirteen serial killers," Garcia filled her in. "Newbie and Rossi tracked another one down, so we've got five left. And I've got a presentation to give, so it's time to gather all of my chickies in the conference room!"

"Alright, I'll grab Spence and we'll meet you there."

When they had all been assembled, Garcia turned on the television screen, showing a picture of the latest victim. "Tempe, Arizona. A nice young man named Brian, and a desert kidnapping. Sounds like a scandalous novel, right? Well, it was, kind of, for Brian here. A truck driver found him wandering a desert road, tied to this post-like thing, with words carved into his stomach."

"Ouch," Alvez grimaced. "This looks like the Crimson King. He's one of the ones that got out." He looked to the rest of the team for approval.

"Alvie's right," Piper agreed. "He's on the loose. This could be him taunting us. I mean, he scratched the word 'BAU' into this poor guy. It's almost like he wants us to focus on him."

"Which makes me think he's either craving the chase or there's something bigger at stake here," Rossi chipped in. "We should still look into it. If this is the Crimson King back again, we need to get him before he carves someone else up."

Hotch agreed. "Wheels up in 30, everyone. Piper, you too."

They filed out of the conference room, heading back to their desks to grab their go-bags. Reid followed Piper down the flight of stairs to her office, sitting on the edge of her desk as she packed up and texted Jessica, asking her to pick the kids up and grab the dog that afternoon. "What's up, Spence?"

"'Alvie'?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Piper dropped into her desk chair with a laugh. "Luke Alvez and I have known each other for years. We met at a conference where he was speaking about his work on the Fugitive Task Force, and it overlapped with my talk on serial crime. We kept in touch and he helped me organize some interviews out west. It's good to see him in person again. I don't think he's ever met Sophie, now that I think about it. Are you ready?"

"Uh, yeah, let's go."

Piper frowned, knowing that he wasn't voicing everything. But she shrugged it off, taking his hand and walking to the SUV where the team was meeting up. That was Reid - he'd tell her eventually, or she would find out eventually, but for now, they had a killer to catch. Piper set up at the sheriff's office, working with her husband to set up a geographic profile while the others split up, some of them going to talk to the latest victim, some of them heading to where he was found to see if there were any clues left in the desert. Tara returned with pictures of the words carved into the victim's stomach, pinning them up on the board that Piper was working on.

"Hey, look at this," Reid remarked, taking one of the photos down. He held it up next to a photo they had taken of a victim of the Crimson King from years before, saying, "The writing style is similar, but it's not exact. No hesitation marks, but these parts of the cuts here, they're shallower than the corresponding ones on the Crimson King's original victims."

Hotch came over to look, reasoning that, "This has to be an incredibly sophisticated copycat. What else did you get from the victim?"

"Bubblegum," Tara told him. "He remembers smelling bubblegum before he passed out."

"Bubblegum," Piper repeated, realizing what it meant. "We need to deliver the profile."

"We're looking for an unsub who was easily manipulated by someone we've been looking for for a long time now," Rossi told the local police. "He's not a sophisticated copycat like we first thought. He's been conditioned to do the bidding of someone named Peter Lewis, a serial killer who has a liking for antagonizing the police. Now this unsub could lead us to him, which is important to remember."

Piper nodded, adding, "The unsub we're after is a danger to the public, not just to law enforcement. He's easily manipulated or being coerced by Peter Lewis. He could even be being threatened."

"There is a possibility he could seek an escape route if we offer him one," JJ said. "But on the other hand, if he has been conditioned enough, he could start thinking that he is the Crimson King, not just that he's imitating him."

"It's important to remember that the unsub could lead us to Peter Lewis and the real Crimson King, Cullen. He's trying to bring our attention to him here, which means one or both of them could have a bigger endgame. The unsub is just a pawn to him, someone who could easily be conditioned and is therefore disposable. Look for people with predispositions like this," Hotch instructed, one of the officers raising their hand.

"Do you think it could be one of the kids from the old Dissociative Identity camp?""

Alvez nodded. "It is very possible. Someone like that could be conditioned into forming a whole new personality, at least in theory, if Scratch was strong enough. We've got to remember that Peter Lewis is cunning and manipulative, a classic psychopath."

Hotch's phone rang, the unit chief excusing himself and returning to announce, "Garcia's got a prank call that left an address for us. She ran a vocal recognition algorithm and it's definitely Peter Lewis. Let's go."

Piper met them at the hospital, where they were bringing in a woman who they'd found with Hotch's name scratched into her forehead. She and Tara were waiting to talk to her when she woke up, coming out of surgery with some stitches and a liberal amount of antibiotics. Garcia had ID'd her as a woman who had gone to the same Dissociative Identity Disorder therapy camp as Brian, the first victim. She'd taken the liberty of pulling a list of the others at the camp, since they seemed to be targets, and sent them to the local police to review with Brian.

"I hope they heal up fairly well," Tara sighed, looking to where the sleeping woman was covered in bandages. "I would hate to have someone's name carved into my forehead like that. I'm sure she'll wake up feeling like a pawn in the bigger game he's playing against the FBI."

There was a scream from a room down the hall, Piper instinctively drawing her gun and bolting towards the noise. Brian was gone from his room, a strangled deputy lying on the floor, gasping and choking for breath. A nurse was already trying to keep him still and open his airway, Piper shouting to Tara that Brian was gone. "He's been conditioned, and he's got the list of names! Go, I'll call Hotch!"

Piper stepped into the hall to make her phone call, Tara coming back with bad news. "He's gone."

"Hotch thinks Peter Lewis is really getting them to split off another personality," Piper reported as they made their way back towards their SUV. "These alternate personalities are doing his bidding. I'm pretty sure he's got Brian convinced that he's the real Crimson King. There's more, though. Garcia's been digging into what they found Brian tied to, and it turns out it's an arm spreader from an S&M shop. Purchased using my husband's stolen credit cards and a fake ID. They're heading to the address on the license, but this guy's woven himself into our lives too."

Tara shook her head, jumping into the driver's seat. "The Crimson King's been a part of this all along. If Scratch is copying details that only he would know, Cullen's got to be involved somehow. Even if he's a hostage, he's involved."

"Well, let's get over there sooner rather than later," Piper resolved. "I want this guy back in prison for life."

They arrived a little bit later than the rest of the team, walking in to find them holding Brian at gunpoint. He had been carving into a man Piper recognized as the real Crimson King, and was holding a knife to his own throat. "Brian, you don't have to do this," Rossi was saying. "You don't have to die for him. I know what Peter Lewis-"

"I am the Crimson King. This man's an impostor!"

"Brian, he hurt you, didn't he? He made you feel like everything you did was meaningless. He took all of your credit. I promise no one is gonna hurt you like that ever again," Piper spoke up, moving towards the front of the group. "That's what they told you back at the orphanage, right? No one is gonna hurt you like that ever again."

"No one is gonna hurt you like that ever again," Tara confirmed. "Angelica and Eliza, right? They were your friends. They knew it - no one is gonna hurt you like that ever again. No one is gonna hurt you like that ever again, Brian. Come on. Come with us and no one is gonna hurt you like that ever again."

Brian nodded, slowly dropping the knife as Hotch moved in to handcuff him. "No one is gonna hurt you like that ever again," Piper smiled, marching him out of the room as the others untied the real Crimson King, who would also be going away for a very long time. "No one is gonna hurt you like that ever again."

"Scratch still got away," JJ sighed as they watched the police cars drive away, taking Brian and the real Crimson King back to prison. "But we're down another serial killer, at least."

Piper shed her bulletproof vest as they loaded everything back into an SUV. "At least we're down a serial killer," she confirmed as JJ headed over to Rossi, who had called her over to ask something about writing up the case file.

Reid walked up, tossing his vest in the back of the SUV. "Hey, Spence. What's up?"

"We just got another one of them," Reid shrugged.

"Yeah, but I know there's something else on your mind." She sat down in the back of the SUV, looking to him. "Something not about the case." Reid sighed, glancing over to where Alvez and Tara were talking. "Oh lord, Spence, we're friends. I know he reminds you of the classic G-man and I know you've always… you've always had a thing about being replaced, but I would never."

She got up to hug him, Reid whispering, "I'm sorry. I just didn't know you two were so close for so long. I'm sorry I'm an insecure -"

"It's okay, Spence. I love you."


	65. Mom

"Hotch has been assigned to temporary duty elsewhere," Rossi repeated as he walked around the table of profilers. "That's all I've been told."

 _Liar._ Piper took a sip of her coffee, listening to Rossi repeat the same thing as people began to ask questions. _You're lying and you know it._ "Dave's right. We should focus on the case for now. Hotch would have told us if something if he was going to be away for too long or if something was up." _And he definitely didn't tell me._ She stood, grabbing her file and marching out of the door, right into Prentiss, who was setting up her new desk. "Oh my god, they told me you weren't starting for another week."

"Hello to you too," she smiled, giving her old friend a hug. "I see a lot's changed around here since the last time I came to visit. I just met the new guy."

"Yeah, Alvie's a good guy," Piper smiled, watching her reaction. "I've known him for a while. We worked together a lot when I was writing that book. What do you think of him?"

"He's a, ah, great agent," Prentiss said, avoiding eye contact as she unpacked, setting files and picture frames on her desk. "Do you think I should get a plant? You've got succulents in your office, right? You don't have to water them a lot, which is perfect for when we're all away and -"

"Ooh, someone's deflecting," Piper grinned, sitting down at Reid's desk. "You're already a bit fond of him, aren't you?" She laughed as she set her laptop up, Prentiss saying nothing, since the rest of the team was coming by. "Hey, Alvie, quick question." She beckoned him over, Alvez stopping by the desk with a couple of files.

"What's up? Hey, Emily. You're across from Reid?"

"For now," Prentiss told him matter-of-factly.

He gave Piper a look, Piper shrugging in response. "Want to grab drinks with some of the rest of us at the end of the day? I think we should all properly welcome Agent Prentiss back to the BAU."

"Agent Prentiss has a lot to catch up on, and will consider that offer," Emily responded, turning her computer on. "After all, I do need to be brought up to speed on the serial killer hunt."

Alvez laughed, telling Piper he would be there, just to text him the address. He walked off, going to find Garcia with a few questions about the details he was putting in his report. It was, at least so far, promising to be a relatively quiet day at the BAU. Piper was planning on getting a lot of paperwork done - she had piles to catch up on, even though it seemed like she always did. Heading down to her basement room, she said hi to Garcia and Alvez, who were debating over whether or not Alvez had been emailed a file. "Piper, tell him I sent you all copies. Newbie won't believe me."

"Just hack his email and find the records, Garcia. Don't bother searching through the billion messages you sent us from your email," Piper called as she unlocked her office door, propping it open like always before going to turn her computer back on.

Piper had been working for a while when Reid appeared in the doorway, beaming. "Pipes, let's go for lunch. I've got good news." He could hardly contain himself long enough for her to lock everything up and for the two of them to make their way to the elevator. "Mom's been accepted for that study at Johns Hopkins."

"Spence, that's amazing," she smiled, giving him a hug in the elevator. "When does she start?"

"It starts in a couple of weeks, but they're going to send me all of the preliminary information soon," he told her. "They're the one doing work on metabolic enhancement for neuroregeneration to reverse Alzheimer's."

"Yeah, I remember. That's great news, Spence." They waved to the security guard stationed at the door, heading out to the parking garage. "Plus she'll be close to us, so we can go and visit a lot more. It'll be good for her, having all of us around. I'm sure she'd like to see the kids again."

Reid nodded. "It'll help with her memory, if she sees them over and over. This is the best thing I've heard all day." Piper smiled, taking his hand as they walked. "Do you remember where you parked?"

They were in the middle of lunch when Reid's phone rang. He stood up, heading a few steps away since they had been sitting outside. Piper watched his face drop, his eyebrows knitting together as he talked. Something changed about how he paced, making Piper worry a bit. If it was a case, they would have called her too. If it was something with the kids, their schools knew to call her first, since she was home more. That could only mean one thing, that something had happened with his mom. He hung up and came to sit back down, Piper taking his hand from across the table. "What's up?"

"It's Mom. The Vegas police found her wandering around in a casino. They say she had no idea how she got there. She's back at the facility now, and they let me talk to her, but I think I should fly out," he told her, looking worried. "Pipes, she needs to be in that study. What they're doing at that facility isn't working."

"You should go, Spence. It'll help her to see you. The kids and I can fly out on Saturday, if you want."

"It's okay, I'll just go. It'll probably be better if it's just me for now. I can leave in the morning if I get a ticket right now."

"You know Garcia can get you a ticket, even if the plane is taking off in five minutes," she joked, taking a sip of her drink. "It'll be okay, Spence. We can bring her here and get her into the study, and I'm sure we'll see some progress."

Reid looked off to the street, watching a few cars pass by. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Then we find something that does. We keep searching and trying to get her into studies until we find something that does work for her," Piper resolved. "We do as much as we can. We do everything we can for the people we love. But step one is to let Rossi know you're flying out tomorrow. I'll hold down the fort in the office. Your mom needs you."

Back at the BAU, they filled Rossi in, who gave his blessing. Pier went back downstairs, Garcia saying hi to her and figuring everything out within a matter of minutes. Well, she had been keeping tabs on Reid's mother anyway, and had seen the news, because she was monitoring all of them, at least on a surface level. "I like to know where my chickies are," she shrugged. "I feel so bad for him, though. So much is going on in your lives as it is."

"It'll be okay," Piper assured her as she sat down at her desk and grabbed a file from her inbox. "Spence is flying out there tomorrow, and he'll be able to see what's going on. I told him she'd be better off closer to us. We'll see what he decides, but I'm glad she has the chance to come here for that study."

"About that," Garcia bit her lip, whispering, "I've been tracking that too. They're calling a list of people that they had to drop because of funding issues, and she's one of them." Piper's face fell, Garcia saying, "Please don't tell Reid. He's going to find out,a dn I'd rather it not be from me. I don't want him to think I'm interfering too much… If it counts for anything, I tried to change it, but it would look too suspicious if I did."

Piper sighed, glancing at her computer. "I won't say a word. I've got enough work here to keep me cooped up until it's time to go, so I'll try to stay down here, away from him. It'll give them time to call. And time for him to process it."

"Okay. I just thought you should be prepared for it," Garcia told her, heading back to her office with a final, "I'm sorry."

The bad news came a few hours later, when Piper was looking at the clock and wondering how many more files she could go through before it was time to go. She'd just referred a stack of them to various field offices and had begun shredding her copies when Reid walked in, dropping into one of the chairs across from her desk. "What happened, Spence? You look awful."

"They dropped her from the study. Apparently their budget was cut at the last minute, and they had to drop people. Mom was one of them," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've got to go out there and see her. No, I've got to look into more studies, see what I can do -"

"I'll take care of that from here," Piper promised, moving to sit next to him. "You've got to go and be with her. Spend as much time with her as you can, Spence. She needs you, right now more than ever." She pulled him into a hug, adding, "I'll find something for her. I've actually already been looking around, and I might have found a few more options. There's one in Milwaukee, one in Houston, one down in Gainesville… she could end up in Florida. That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"Mhm."

"Why don't we go home a bit early," she suggested. "I'll just take my files with me, and we can have a nice quiet dinner with the kids. You can pack for tomorrow too."

"Yeah, I… let's go," Reid agreed, getting up as Piper began putting some files in her bag and locking everything up for the night. They said goodbye to Garcia, who gave Piper a knowing look before telling them to have a good night. Rossi nodded to them as they left. Alvez stopped Piper, asking her about how she wanted part of his report formatted. It seemed like everyone wanted to talk.

"Just email me everything, Alvie. We've had a long day with a lot of bad news, so we're heading home. I'll check on it when I've got a chance, probably after I put the kids to bed."

"Of course," he nodded, giving her a hug. "Whatever you two need."

Dinner was indeed quiet, Piper trying to keep Nate distracted from Reid's unusual silence by asking him all sorts of things about school and about his soccer team. She helped him with his homework after dinner, and packed lunch for him and Sophie. Once he had gone to bed and Sophie was asleep, Piper holed herself up in the study to get more work done. Reid was downstairs, on the phone with his mom, and she was glad to finally catch a moment to immerse herself in work and not have to think about anything other than catching killers. She'd gone through a handful of files when Reid came upstairs, looking defeated, his shoulders slumped as he stood in the doorway. "Pipes, she…" Piper looked up, putting her glasses back on and seeing that his eyes were growing red. "She has flashes of remembering things, and then she'll forget. She thought I was Uncle Gordon at first…"

Piper got up and wrapped her arms around him, saying, "We'll find a study that will help her, Spence. We'll find something, no matter how much we have to search to find it. We'll find her something."

He took a deep breath, asking, "What if we're too late?"

"We're not going to stop trying, Spence. Ever." She gave him a kiss, adding, "We're going to find something. There's got to be something else that can help her."

He nodded, sniffling a bit. "I keep thinking… My brain is what I pride myself on above everything else. I've worked so hard to do what I've done, to get where I am. It's all my brain. But I see all of this happening to Mom and I can't help but wonder… What if the same thing happens to me?"

"Then we do the same thing. We find a study that works," Piper said practically. "I promise, Spence, no matter how bad things get, I'll always be here. I'll be here to tell you stories about the old days at the FBI and about how we met and all of that. I'll tell you every story I know a thousand times over if I have to. I love you, Spence, and I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

A.N.: HAPPY NEW EPISODE OF CRIMINAL MINDS DAY! I hope you enjoyed the episode and the chapter. Thanks for all of the reviews and messages, y'all.


	66. Will the Real Gabriel Please Stand Up

A.N.: I'm heading out of town for the weekend, so I won't be publishing for a few days. But i hope you enjoy this chapter while I'm gone!

* * *

"Witness Protection? You mean we're never going to see him or Jack again?" Garcia asked, looking between Rossi and Prentiss. "How can he just disappear? I thought you said he was on an assignment from the Director."

Emily nodded sadly. "Scratch showed up at one of Jack's soccer games," she sighed. "Hotch decided that he can no longer put his family in danger like that, not after what happened to Haley. He's resigned, effective immediately. Scratch was just getting too close to him and his family, like he's trying to do with a lot of us."

"And Agent Prentiss has been named his successor," Rossi added, looking to Emily. "If she chooses to accept."

"She's got to work some things out in London," Emily replied. "But she's thinking that she will most likely end up here to stay."

"Congratulations," Reid offered.

"That's great news," JJ smiled, giving her a hug. "I'm glad they didn't bring in someone else."

"It is," Piper nodded, thinking that she would make an escape to her office in a few minutes. "Look, I have a whole lot to catch up on, so I can't talk for long. I'll see you all in a little while, if we get a case. I've got to get some work done… the brass is on me for not sending them a report fast enough. But congratulations, Emily. We'll all have to go out and celebrate together." She made her way down to her office, closing the door behind her, taking out her phone and dialing. The line rang for a moment before a robotic voice answered, telling her that the number had been disconnected. It made sense, but she had still hoped that she would be able to leave a message saying goodbye. She had just sat down when there was a knock on the door.

"Piper, you never keep your door closed," Garcia called, knocking incessantly. "You better be hiding a puppy in there."

"No puppies," she laughed, opening the door to let Garcia in. "I just had to make a phone call. What's up?"

"Okay, I know you're still reeling from the shock of this morning's meeting, but I've got some juicy information for you," Garcia said, dropping into one of the chairs across from Piper's desk. "Tara's got a complicated family history, but the juiciest tidbit of gossip is that she has a brother named Gabriel, who barely made it out of school before getting into some of those get-rich-quick schemes while Tara went on to the FBI. And he's in town today."

"Yeah, I know," Piper told her, taking a sip of her coffee casually while Garcia jumped up.

"You know too? How does everyone know? How did everyone find out before I did?" she asked. "I'm the one who's supposed to be able to figure things out like that…. I didn't even know about him until earlier today. Like, I knew he existed, but that's pretty much it."

"Tara told us all a while ago. She wanted to see how long you could keep a secret," Piper confided, "and you did pretty well. But yeah, we all know about him."

"Well did you know they just hauled this guy in claiming to be her brother?" Garcia asked, crossing her arms as she waited. "This guy has all of his stuff - his license, his credit cards, family photos in his wallet. He's said all of the right things - things he remembers, family memories that other people wouldn't have known."

"You know who this has to be," Piper sighed, setting her coffee down as she pulled the file up on her computer. "You know it's got to be him, Penelope. He's coming after all of us, one by one. Last time it was Hotch, now he's hunting Tara. And he's already targeted Spence too, stealing his identity to use to buy things… he's not going to stop until he destroys all of us."

"Well he's going to need to try harder than that, because we're going to hunt him down even if he's hiding out in Antarctica," Garcia resolved. "We already lost Hotch and Jack to him. We're not losing anyone else. Oh, they want you on the interview. That's why I came down here in the first place."

"You probably should have started with that," Piper chuckled, getting up and grabbing her coffee cup. "Who am I with?"

"JJ's setting up in the interrogation room now," Garcia said, following her up the stairs. Piper was always amazed that she kept pace in her heels, even on the rare occasion that Garcia made it out to a crime scene. "Just a warning, Rossi's trying to keep Tara away from him for now, but she's going to ask you a bunch of questions."

JJ was already sitting with the man claiming to be Tara's brother Gabriel, talking to him about his childhood. So far, he seemed to be giving all of the right answers. "Dr. Piper Reid, nice to finally meet you, Gabriel," she smiled, shaking his hand before she sat down next to JJ. "Tara told me a bit about you, but I'm glad I get to meet you in person. What did you study at Yale again?"

"I didn't," the man laughed a bit. "I got accepted, but I never ended up going."

"Must have been hard, I guess, after all of that moving around. I mean, you kids were born on that base and moved to Austria and then-"

"Germany."

"Ah, yes," Piper nodded. "Sorry, I'm a bit distracted. Look, I'll be honest, someone's going after members of our team, and we're all scared. When you showed up and Tara hadn't seen you for years, she got scared. We're all on edge, and seeing you really surprised her." She looked to JJ, who agreed wholeheartedly. "Someone's been threatening us, and we're all spread a little thin. Seeing you sent her back to a place she hasn't been in years."

"Hey, why do you call her 'T'?" JJ asked, looking at the file in front of her. "You're the only one who does that. How come?"

"Some kid was bullying her about her name, and I started calling her that to show her how I would always be on her side, no matter what," he told her matter-of-factly. "We only really had each other over there in Germany. Dad was working all of the time, and Mom wasn't doing too well."

There was a knock on the door, Reid stepping in and asking to borrow Piper and JJ for a second. They followed him out, Reid filling them in on what had happened. "Tara and Alvez went to the address on his license. They found pictures of her brother lined up there, and his face on a television screen. He's being held captive somewhere. They just got back, if you want to ask them anything."

"I'll finish up in there," JJ volunteered. "We were almost done anyway, and I'm sure they could use another set of eyes going over those pictures. If I know Scratch, there's a clue in them somewhere."

"Thanks," Piper told her, heading back to the bullpen with Reid while JJ went back into the interrogation room. They found Tara and Alvez talking to Rossi, who had zoomed in on the image of Gabriel being tied up. "What are we looking at?"

"Knowing Scratch, there's some symbolism here," Rossi said. "But nothing seems to be standing out other than the red rope used to tie him down."

"That's shibari rope," Reid informed them, sitting down in front of the computer. "It's a BDSM thing." Alvez raised an eyebrow, looking to Piper, who just laughed. "He used the same kind of equipment when he stole my information last time. I bet it's all still under my name."

The distinctive clacking of garcia's heels made them all turn around as she raced over. "Desmond Holt. He's a Dissociative Identity Disorder patient, just like our fake Crimson King. That means he's got to be convinced that he really is Gabriel. But his doctors said the last time they tried to bring his personalities together in that therapy you told me about a while ago, the one I'm totally blanking on the name of right now, he went into a catatonic state for months. That's who you've got in there."

"That means we need to rethink how we're doing this." Piper turned to Rossi, advising him to, "Let Holt talk to Tara. His personality thinks he's her brother, and if she tries to connect to him, we might be able to get through and find out where the real Gabriel is. And if we find him, we're closer to finding Scratch. She'll know how to do it. She'll know how to be careful and not send him into catatonia. We've both had enough training to be able to be careful enough."

"We might want to include his father too," Alvez added. "He's been asking for him. Maybe seeing them both will help. We can tell him not to talk or anything, but his presence would probably help him."

Rossi nodded, saying, "I'll let them know. They're together now, so it shouldn't be hard. Go let her know. We'll have a SWAT team ready for an address."

"No pressure there, sir," Alvez smiled, heading down the hall to get Tara and her father. Piper would come in a bit later, while they were talking to Holt, who maintained that he was Gabriel, but finally broke, telling them that he had been forced to memorize the address in case he had to come back. He repeated it for them, finally breaking as Tara and her father got up to head out and tell Rossi what they'd learned. Piper stayed behind, talking to Holt and trying to calm him down.

While the team went to rescue Gabriel, Piper stayed with Desmond Holt, making sure he was stable before going to keep Tara's dad company. He had been pacing, waiting for news, and Garcia wasn't being much help. She'd brought him tea, but had been pacing with him and fretting over the team. However, as soon as the team was on its way back, Piper let them know, watching them react, smiling and hugging each other.

As the team hugged and celebrated together, Piper checked her phone, seeing that she had a missed call from a number she didn't know. A quick search revealed that it was registered in Mississippi. She was about to shrug it off as a telemarketer, but a voicemail popped up. Out of curiosity, she hit 'play', taking a few steps away as she realized who was talking. It was a familiar voice, one she never thought she would ever be able to hear again.

"This is a burner phone, so you won't be able to call me back," the voice said on the recording. "I just wanted to tell you that we're alright, and that we're settling down. Keep posting pictures of the team and the kids on Facebook. I'll be watching. If you want, go follow a man named Isaac Shivers. It's a private profile, and the photo is the Jackson, Mississippi skyline. No, we're not in Jackson. But find it and follow him. He'll keep you updated."

There was a brief pause, and then a younger voice started to talk. "Hi Aunt Piper. I'm sorry we had to move, but Dad says we'll keep you updated as much as we can. I love you."

The man's voice came back, adding, "He's right. We'll keep you updated, and we both love you, Reid, and the kids. I don't know when we'll be able to talk next, but keep up with Isaac. That's a start." He hung up, Piper immediately deleting the message.

She thought for a moment, finally realizing why the name made so much sense. _Isaac, the biblical son of Aaron. And Shivers, a last name derived from the same Dutch and Middle English roots as Hotchner._ She smiled to herself, glad to know that they were okay.


	67. Everyone Pays a Price

A.N.: I'm back from vacation! Here's a little something...

* * *

It was late at night when Piper got the call. Reid had just gotten on a plane for Vegas, intent on moving his mom to a clinical trial in Houston, and she'd just gotten back to sleep when Garcia called, saying they had a case. Piper sighed, dialing Jessica and telling her that there was an emergency at the BAU. By the time she got there, Garcia was setting up in the conference room and the others were making their way in with coffees and exchanging little more than yawns. Prentiss stopped her by the stairs. "How's Reid doing?"

"I dropped him off at the airport a couple of hours ago," Piper told her. "He's holding up, but this is a lot on him. He's trying to make sure she's getting the actual treatment, but we can't be sure."

"Keep an eye on him for me, will you?"

"Of course."

"Good. Let's go."

Garcia looked tired, but she was still herself, telling them that they had two orders of business. "First, a big welcome to Agent Stephen Walker, who comes to us from 20 years at the BAP, our lovely-but-still-not-as-great twin." They all said hello to the new agent, telling him they'd heard of his work and that they were glad to have another brilliant mind on the team. Alvez said something about being glad that he wasn't the newest one on the team anymore, Garcia shooting him down quickly. "You're still a newbie, Newbie. Now if you consult the file I sent you, we have two cases nearby where our unsub has gone into homes at night, killing kids and torturing mothers."

"No fathers in the picture for either family?" Rossi asked, flipping through the file on his tablet. "Looks like none of them were killed. Stepped out?"

"With a little careful reading, you'll see that no, the fathers were absent, but just for a few days. Mr. Larson was on a business trip in Vancouver, and he has tons of people to back him up that were at the same conference. His three kids were killed and his wife was tortured back here in Virginia while he was away. Over in Maryland, we've got the Tong family, where the twin boys were killed and their mom tortured. Mr. Tong was visiting his mom in a New Jersey nursing home. She's got cancer and isn't doing well. Solid alibi for him too." Garcia sighed, clicking through the slides of her presentation.

"It says here the mother was locked in her room while her kids were killed," JJ frowned, looking through the file. "I can't imagine…"

"By waiting until the father is gone, he's saying 'I'm getting them because you left them unprotected'," Rossi chipped in, thinking aloud.

"Or he could be doing it out of opportunity," Walker said, looking to the others for support. "He doesn't even have to subdue the father because he's gone for a little while. There's a clear window of time that he's spending torturing them, one where he knows the father won't be coming home late to stop him."

"Let's split up," Prentiss resolved, giving them all their assignments. "Tara, Piper, I'm going to need you to talk to the mothers, see what you can get out of them. Even if you can't do a full cognitive interview for both of them, you could get us something important. JJ, Alvez, head out to the Larson home, Rossi and Walker to the Tongs'. Look over the scenes yourselves, see if there's anything that the locals could have missed. I'm going to try to pull together the investigative teams, since we're going to have to be going over state lines on this one. Wheels out in 20."

"I'm thinking he had a father figure who was absent in his own life, for much longer than these kids did. Or one who was absent when he should have been there to stop something critical in his childhood," Tara proposed on their way to the hospital. "Leaving the mothers alive… I feel like whatever happened symbolically killed his childhood, but he managed to save his mother."

"It's not that big of a stretch," Piper said, checking the GPS. "I think we make a right up here. Yeah, right up here. I'm just hoping we'll be able to get through to the mothers. Even if we can only get one of them to do a cognitive, we'll have a whole lot more to go on. Do you want to split them or do them one at a time?"

"We can split them. Is this the entrance up here?"

"Yeah, I've been here before. Just go straight until we get to the last left turn we can make. You know, at least from the crime scenes, this wasn't too organized. Sure, he was methodological in how he separated them and killed the kids, and how he tortured the mothers, but he used a lot of weapons of opportunity. If he planned everything out and watched the houses, and knew the fathers would be gone - wait, I bet he figured it out from hacking their schedules. The trips they were on, they were both deviations from routine, so he had to have known about them in advance," Piper realized, texting Garcia to check it out.

"You're right. He's got more skills than we thought, but that just makes the weapons of opportunity more out-of-place in his MO," Tara thought aloud. The two of them went to the front desk, checking in with the nurse on duty before splitting up to interview the two mothers.

They weren't apart for long, however. Piper had spent time talking to Mrs. Tong, the latest victim, and had found out something surprising. She'd gone to find Tara when she ran into her in the hall, the two of them looking for each other at the same time. "Mrs. Larson told me that he kept repeating something while he was torturing her. Did Mrs. Tong say the same thing?" Tara asked.

Piper nodded with a frown. "It was only one word: BAU."

"Mr. Scratch," Tara determined, Piper agreeing. "He's programmed another DID patient. We've got to deliver the profile."

That night, Piper was glad to go home to Nate and Sophie. They'd split into shifts, half of them going home early and promising to be there early in the morning, the other half staying late and coming in later in the morning to work on the case. Piper had taken the first shift, since she could just drop the kids off early at school in the morning on her way in. After they'd gone to bed, she called Reid to check in. "Hey, Spence. How's everything going?"

"Mom seems to like it here. It was a good day, so we went out for a bit before she had to go back for the first round of testing for the study. I'm back at the hotel now," he told her with a yawn. "How's the case going?"

"First of all, Spence, you don't sound like everything's all sunshine and rainbows."

He was quiet for a minute, finally confessing that, "I've been thinking a lot, Pipes. Everything that's ever happened, I've found ways to deal with it. But I don't know how to deal with this."

"Spence, you can't," she sighed. "You can't just deal with it. There's no way to fix what we're going through. But we can do everything we can for her, and we can manage it. It's going to be okay."

He nodded, but then realized that she couldn't see him. "Okay. Hey, Pipes, I love you."

"I love you too," she assured him. "We're going to get through this together."

"Okay. I should be home tomorrow night, so I guess I'll see you then. I've got to let you get some rest. Goodnight, Piper. Tell the kids goodnight for me."

"I will. Night, Spence." she hung up, plugging her phone into the charger and getting up to brush her teeth.

Piper had just fallen into a restless sleep when she heard one of the stairs creak. _Damn it. That bottom step makes a noise every time Nate gets up to get a drink. I've really got to get on that. No, that couldn't be Nate, the steps don't sound right. Spence isn't coming home until tonight. It can't be… Shit._ She bolted up in bed, putting her glasses on as she heard something being moved in front of her door. Instinctively, she grabbed her gun from the safe beside the bed, trying to push the door open with all her might. It wouldn't budge. _Think._ "Mom!" That was Nate. _Oh shit. No, this has to be a dream. It can't be -_ She grabbed her phone, hitting Alvez's number and throwing it back on her bed. She wouldn't know what made her think of him when it was all over, but she left the phone ringing on her bed while she tried opening the door again. Maybe it was the fact that they had worked together. Maybe it was the fact that he would know something was wrong if she called but didn't say anything. She really wouldn't know later on. "Mom! Help!" _Think. The attic._

She bolted into their closet, where they had a trapdoor in the ceiling that led into the attic. Usually, she would just use it to hide Christmas presents up there. But it led to another trap door down the hall, where she dropped down in front of the stairwell after balancing on the rafters to get there. It was quiet. Too quiet. She turned, bolting for Nate's room, and then Sophie's. But she was too late. _There's so much blood. Oh god, there's so much blood._ Collapsing to her knees, all she could think of were her kids. All of that blood, it was a mother's worst nightmare. _That's what 'BAU' meant. They were coming for us._ "Hello there." She looked up to see a burly man covered in blood, holding one of her kitchen knives.

She raised her gun, knowing she could shoot faster than he could move. "You fu-" She was cut off by a gunshot, instinctively ducking and looking behind her. Alvez stood there, watching the man fall as Piper stood up.

"I was in the neighborhood, and when you called, I knew something was wrong" he explained. Alvez pulled her into a hug, saying, "We're going outside. The team's on the way."

"Nate… Sophie… I saw, but I didn't…" Her voice caught in the back of her throat as she started to cry. "Are -"

He led her down the stairs, "Yes. I'm so sorry. Oh my god." He told her to keep her head down as they walked through the front hall, Piper not asking questions. They stood on the front steps while the first police cars started to arrive, Alvez not letting go of her as she sobbed. Eventually, he transferred her to Will, who had come with JJ after dropping the kids off with Jessica and an FBI agent who had been assigned to them. Everything sort of blurred together, just a few things standing out. She could hear people talking, but it all went in one ear and out the other.

"That taunting note in the front hall, it's written in blood," Prentiss said, shaking her head. She stood with a few other agents, talking to Garcia, who was at the office researching the man who Alvez had shot and bawling her eyes out.

"'Everyone pays a price'," JJ repeated, looking over to where Piper and Will were sitting on the steps. "Spence knows, right?"

"I just told him that something bad had happened and he needed to get back right away," Garcia gulped. "Rossi's going to meet him at the airport and fill him in. He's mid-flight right now. I'm tracking him."

"Nate just turned ten," Piper sniffled, Will keeping his arms around her. "Sophie's just four years old, Will. This is all my fault-"

"No, no it isn't. We know our jobs are risky. And you know Reid's gonna blame himself even more. It was the absent dads he keyed in on, right? Reid's gonna go through hell knowing that," Will told her, trying to keep his voice level. "He's on his way. Rossi's just gone to pick him up from the airport."

"Okay. Scratch-"

"Scratch is still on the loose, but we're gonna get him, no matter what it takes." He heard a bit of a commotion by the door, looking up to see people from the medical examiner's office moving towards the front hall. "Hey, Pipes, come with me." Slowly, he got her to stand and walk to the end of the block. She felt nothing and everything at the same time, like she was moving through the syrupy reality of a dream. "You and Reid are gonna stay with Rossi tonight. Is there anything you need from the apartment?"

"I… I can't go back in there," she managed. "I can't. I can't."

"It's okay, I'll have JJ get whatever you need. Don't look back at the house right now."

"Will?"

"Hmm?"

"Is this real?"

"Oh sweetheart," he pulled her into another hug, watching the coroner's assistants load up their van. "I'm so sorry it is. I would do anything for this to be a nightmare right now." Will watched Rossi's car pull up, Reid hopping out and running for the door as soon as the car stopped moving. He dashed up the steps, Prentiss stopping him. She talked to him for a minute or two before pointing to where Will and Piper were standing, Reid turning and jogging over to them. Will let go of Piper, leaving the two of them alone.

"Spence, I…" She looked up to see that he was crying too. He'd been crying for a while. His eyes were red, tear tracks making their way down towards his chin. "If I had been faster-"

"No, it was the dads… I should have been here. Piper…" They sat down on the curb together, both of them sobbing. They didn't let go of each other, trying to finally catch their breath when Prentiss walked up.

The two of them looked up, Prentiss squatting down to be level with them. "I know this isn't going to mean shit to you, because he took your children. But the forensics people all agreed that they didn't suffer. And while we didn't get any more leads on Peter Lewis, we're not going to stop trying. Needless to say, you two can't be part of this investigation, but you can stay on the Scratch case. Take all the time you need. We're going to be here for you."

"Thank you," Reid croaked, looking behind her towards all of the chaos happening in front of their building. "Thank you, Emily."

She reached out to squeeze his arm, promising, "We're going to take care of this. I have to head back to direct the investigation, but I'll send Rossi over here soon. We're going to find him."

Emily headed back to where the police and FBI agents were assembled, Piper turning to her husband. "Spence, my babies…"

Reid nodded, hardly able to say anything. He kissed her cheek, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to his side. Piper leaned her head on his shoulder, the two of them watching all of the lights in the street, tears dripping down their faces as waves of pain hit them over and over again, the reality of it all setting in. Rossi would eventually come over, carrying a duffel bag of things that JJ had packed. He got them into his car and somehow they made it back to his house, where he made some coffee and told them to make themselves at home, since they wouldn't be allowed back into the apartment for at least a week while everything was cleaned up and evidence was recorded. "Whatever you need, just ask."

It was five o'clock in the morning before Piper dozed off. She and Reid had been sitting on the sofa, Rossi taking over an armchair. She'd set her glasses down to lean on Reid, who had hardly let her go all night. Not that she minded. They had each other, and even if they were suffering through the unimaginable, they had each other to go through it with. Reid kissed his wife's forehead, looking over at Rossi. "Do you think she's gonna hate me?" Reid whispered.

"No."

"Studies show that 90% of couples marriages get rocky after… after."

Rossi sighed, setting his fourth cup of coffee down to talk. "Spencer, you two have been through more together than any other couple I know. If anyone can make it, it'll be you two. You just have to remember to talk, and to be honest with each other. It won't be easy, but she loves you more than anything. And I know you love her. I can see it in the way you look at her, even now. You two were meant for each other, kid. Nothing's going to tear that apart."


	68. Under Control

All Piper could do was stare out of the window, thinking. Their apartment had been cleaned up, the case had been added to the Peter Lewis file, and all of the arrangements had been made. The joint funeral had been held, and Will and JJ had come to help pack things up, dividing them between charities and putting a few boxes in the attic. Reid's mom had come for the funeral, and had ended up staying with them, since the study she was participating in wasn't working. It had been difficult for all of them, especially when she would walk into the room and ask them why they were crying. Piper or Reid would have to gently explain everything over again, reliving the same pain over and over.

Reid had gone out for groceries, coming back to see her staring out of the window, watching people pass by in the street. "Are you watching for the spies too?"

"Diana, there aren't any spies here," Piper sighed, getting up to sit with his mother as Reid put things away. "We caught them all."

"That last woman you brought here was a spy." She folded her arms, looking at Reid accusingly. "My son refuses to see that."

"She was a nurse, Mom," he sighed, stashing the empty grocery bags under the sink as he talked. "She was just a nurse. You hardly gave her a chance before you drove her away."

"You don't have to worry," Piper assured her. "You have Spencer and I, and we're both pretty good at hunting down spies. We're going to make sure there aren't any spies around here for a long time."

"Hmm. Okay," she finally agreed, looking to Reid. "You know, I like this girl. I've liked her since I met her. I'm glad you two ended up together. Spencer, you better treat her well." Piper tried to smile.

"I will, Mom. I will."

That evening after his mom had gone to bed, Reid found Piper sitting in the window again, flipping through an old photo album. She'd done that a lot, sitting there in her pajamas and going through old photos, or all of the old drawings that she had saved. Even now, three months later, she did it almost every night. Reid had gone back to work, throwing himself into investigations to try to keep his mind occupied. Piper would spend half of her day at work, and then come home to spend time with Diana. They would go shopping or head out to different tourist-y places in the District, especially if it wasn't such a great day. They would go to the same museums over and over again, discovering new things every time. Or they would just grab lunch and head to a park, spending half of their day there. But Reid would find them sitting together looking through photo albums or telling old stories, one of them trying to remember the past and the other trying to keep the past alive.

"Hey," he said, Piper moving over to make room for him.

"Hey."

He looked over her shoulder, pointing to one of the pictures. "Is that from Nate's first day of school?"

"Yeah," she sighed, closing the album and setting it aside. "You were actually there for that one. I was kind of surprised, you know. We'd all been working some tough cases around that time."

Reid wrapped an arm around her, kissing her forehead and saying, "I miss them too, you know."

"I know."

"You just sounded like… like I don't feel like you do. You know it still hurts. It'll always hurt. But I'm trying to work, trying to distract myself from sitting here all day. Remember that first week, where we just sat on the sofa or in bed with each other, and barely said anything/ How I had to coax you to eat, or how we didn't eat at all, until JJ called and asked how we were doing? I still remember all of it, and all of it still hurts."

"Do you know how hard this is? How difficult it is when your mom asks me why I look sad, or who the kids are in the photos, why they aren't around?" she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Trying not to cry while I'm on the phone with someone at the Bureau, or when I have to process a case about little kids getting hurt? Or trying not to let your mom know anything's wrong if it's one of those days where she doesn't even know they ever existed?"

"I do," he promised. "Pipes, you don't know how many times I've had to step back from a case, how many times I've had to make sure I put up a wall -"

"Spence, they were my kids… I carried Sophie around for nine months, I went through all of that -"

Reid frowned. "You don't think it hurt every time I had to fly out on a case? You don't think I worried about missing holidays and birthday parties and important moments? I would have loved to be the one who sat there and helped with science projects and made lunches and all of that, but I had to go. I'm so sorry that I missed all of that. But Pipes, it hurts me just as much as it hurts you."

She sighed, acquiescing. "I know… I know that people take different amounts of time to mourn. I know it makes people angry, and they try to blame each other. I should know all of this stuff, Spence. I did so much training in it. But it still hurts thinking about how much you missed. I missed a lot of it too, though. I'm sorry, Spence. I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too," he admitted. "I'm sorry I had to go away, I'm sorry you have to deal with all of this, I'm sorry I'm so screwed up that I can't even be here for-"

Piper leaned in to give him a kiss, cutting the rest of his sentence off. "I love you. You're not screwed up, Spence. You're a good person, and you're just trying to do what's best for your mom. I don't blame you for any of this… genetics are the luck of the draw, and if you've got to deal with the results of the bad ones, then you've just got to… This isn't your fault. It's no one's fault but Peter Lewis'. And we're going to make sure he pays for it." She leaned onto him again, adding, "I love you. Please… don't get up for a while. I just need you right here."

"I wouldn't dream of moving," he promised, holding onto her. "I love you too."

When Piper walked into the room the next day, she didn't find it nearly as peaceful. Reid and his mom had been arguing again, and she could hear them all the way from up in the study. "Mom, do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to get that?"

"Spencer, I want to go back to where I was before!"  
"Houston? Mom, they weren't helping you in Houston."

"No, before, before," she insisted.

"They weren't helping out in Vegas either, Mom."

"All of my friends are out there. I hate being here, I hate these meds, and I hate you." She reached out and slepped him, storming off into her room.

Reid's face fell as he watched her go. "Mom..."

Piper had reached the bottom of the stairs, coming over to give him a hug. She kissed his cheek, suggesting, "Let's get you some ice for that." As they sat in the kitchen, Reid with a bag of frozen peas pressed to his cheek, Piper told him, "You know she doesn't mean it, right? She's just lashing out because she knows she doesn't have a whole lot of control over things. It's all part of the disease."

"It took so much for me to be able to get those for her, and she dumped out half of them," Reid sighed, looking to the closed door.

"Well, I also don't think that it's helping that you're hovering a bit," Piper admitted, leaning on the kitchen counter. "You're dictating a lot of what she does, and I know you wouldn't like it either."

"I know, but…"

"Let me talk to her," she suggested, grabbing a mug from one of the kitchen cabinets. "Maybe she'll be more reasonable if I try." She headed over to the bedroom, knocking on the door softly. "Diana? It's Piper. I brought you some tea." She waited a second before turning the handle, walking in quietly.

Reid found them sitting together a few hours later, flipping through his mom's old scrapbook and telling stories. "He was such a clumsy little boy. He's got a scar from where he tried walking on the fence like a tightrope walker," she chuckled, showing Piper some pictures. "He was using a broom to balance with, calculating how long it needed to be… he finally made it up there a little while before dinner, took two steps, and fell into the bushes. I had to go help untangle him, and it was the funniest thing… I can only wonder what the neighbors thought when they saw that little kid, balanced up there pretty well until he took a step forward."

Piper laughed, pointing to one of the photos and asking, "What about that one? What were you two all dressed up for?"

"We were going to see a play," she said, flipping to the next page. "See, there's Spencer up on the stage with all of the actors afterwards. He's always liked the theater."

"Let's go back to the beginning of the album. Show me some pictures of you when you were my age," Piper suggested. Reid stood in the hallway, listening in as his mom told stories about her adventures in college, about how she and his dad met, and about their lives when they were just married. Eventually, he checked his watch, seeing how late it was.

"Hey, it's getting pretty late," he said, walking in to find the two of them talking.

His mom looked up, turning to Piper, somewhat confused. "Who is he?" she asked. "Remind me."

"Mom, it's me. Spencer."

"The little boy from those photos?" she asked, again looking to Piper.

Piper nodded. "He's you son, Diana. That's him, all grown up. Spencer and I got married, remember? That's how you know me." She showed her her ring, Reid's mom nodding.

"Yes. Of course. I… I should be going to bed. Goodnight, Piper. Goodnight, Spencer." She set aside her scrapbook, Piper getting up and heading for the door. Piper took Reid's hand, leading him out of the room as his mom turned the lights off.

They stopped outside of the door, a little ways down the hall. "I'm sorry, Spence."

Reid nodded, Piper giving him a hug. "It's all part of the disease, but… what if there comes a day when she doesn't remember me at all?"

"It could happen," she acknowledged, "but I doubt it. There will be days where she remembers things, but there will be days when she won't. Normally, since she's known you for so long, she'd remember you no matter what, but I think the schizophrenia has an impact on it too. I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you, Spence. I don't know what we're supposed to expect with the two diseases at the same time. I'm sorry I don't know what to tell you, Spence. But I just don't know."

Reid nodded. "I know. I know we're going to just have to wait and see, and try all sorts of different drugs, but… I just want to know how to have this under control."

"Me too," Piper said, giving him a kiss. "Me too."


	69. Arrest

A.N.: YA GIRL IS BACK AND SURVIVED THE GRE, SO HERE YA GO

* * *

Piper leaned her head on her desk, thinking that she needed a nap. Reid had been out of town checking out a research study for his mom, and Diana had kept her up for a while. Cassie, the new nurse, was a big help, but when she went home, it was all up to Piper. Her phone rang, Piper sitting up and answering quickly. "Emily, what's up?"

"Piper, I need you to come to my office. Right now," Prentiss said, her voice rather grave.

"I… okay. Is something wrong?"

"My office." Prentiss hung up, Piper dropping everything she was working on and jogging to her office. Before she could say anything, Prentiss gave her a hug.

"Uh, Emily, what is this about?"

Prentiss sat down, Piper taking the chair next to her. "I got a call a few minutes ago. You know Reid's out of town, right? Where did he tell you he was going?"

"Austin. He's been looking at this study out in Texas. He's been out there for three days now. Emily, did something happen? What's wrong? Please, tell me."

Prentiss bit her lip, confessing, "He's been arrested in Mexico. For cocaine and heroin possession, and intent to traffic."

"No, this has got to be a Mr. Scratch thing," Piper said, standing up and starting to pace the office. "He's probably down there doing something to help his mom. If he's stealing drugs, it wouldn't be cocaine and heroin. It would be something to help his mom. There are tons of experimental drug trials going on outside of the US. It has to be one of those. Drug buying for his mom, that's him, but cocaine and heroin… that's not Spence. Something's got to be -"

"He's saying he was drugged, but they've got a heck of a lot of evidence that's stacking up against him," Prentiss informed her. "You, Rossi, Alvez, and I are flying out there in twenty minutes."

Piper was quiet, trying to sleep on the plane after calling Cassie and asking that she stay with Reid's mom and the dog while she was gone. She said nothing as they were lead into the prison and searched, and was quiet as they were filled in about the case. Half of it went in one ear and out the other, Piper just hoping she would get to see Reid soon. When they were finally led in to see him, she rushed up to the bars, hugging him through the metal. "Spence, I know you didn't do this."

"Pipes, I'm missing time. I still don't… I don't remember everything. I hardly remember…" he leaned in, whispering, "What's his name?"

"Alvez? You're still under the influence of whatever they gave you. You've got to let it wear off," Piper told him, holding his hands through the bars. "We're going to get you out of here. We're going to show them it was all a mistake, that Scratch is framing you. You're missing time, but it'll fill in soon, I'm sure."

"I swear I didn't take it myself," he told her, thinking back to Tobias Hankel. "I swear it wasn't me, Pipes. There's no way-"

"I know," Piper assured him, squeezing his hands. "I know you wouldn't. I know you, Spence. I know you wouldn't take it on purpose. They're still testing your blood for all of the usual drugs, scopolamine included. But… what's written on your arm?"

Reid looked down, realizing that, "That's who I was going to meet. Rosa Medina. I think she's a doctor… something to do with Mom. I know it's not much to go on, but-"

"I'll have Garcia look into it," Prentiss said from her position next to Piper. Reid had said hello to all of them, but he'd held onto Piper, focusing on her largely because she was the one he remembered the best. He couldn't focus, he could hardly think. Everything was cloudy. But as soon as she walked in, he knew. The red hair, the smile of relief that he always had when she saw him walk in the front door from a case, the wedding ring she hardly ever took off. It might have been a bit naive to believe that she would solve everything, but Piper being there made him feel better already.

While Garcia was tracking down Rosa Medina, who she later found out was a doctor really named Nadie Ramos, Piper kept Reid company. The team was dispatched to the last address Garcia had on Nadie Ramos, but she stayed.

Eventually, she and Reid would sit on the dirty floor of the jail, holding hands through the bars and talking about quantum mechanics. The guard on duty knew that she shouldn't be there, that it was against jail policy to have visitors there for that long, but every time he walked over to tell her she would have to leave, he would see the two of them talking like they were the only other people in the world and not have the heart to do it. He would worry that she could be feeding him information, but whenever he checked up on them, he would find them talking about the planets, or string theory, or some obscure chemistry principle he'd never heard of. He would smile and pass by, wishing that every prisoner had someone like that.

It was only when Alvez called that Piper stepped away, just a few feet, to talk. Reid stayed in his spot, waiting for her to come back. When she returned, she had bad news. "Spence," Piper whispered as she sat down again, "I… they found Nadie Ramos. She's dead, Spence. Whoever did this is framing you for murder."

"Ma'am, we have the blood work back," the guard announced, coming by with the file. Piper stood, taking it from him as he added, "I'm not going to kick you out until it starts getting late. I see how you two look at each other, and it reminds me of my wife and I, when we were just married. Maria… she died from cancer last year." He stepped back, speaking up so the rest of the guards could hear. "I'll need that back. Don't give the file to the prisoner."

"Of course," she nodded, watching him walk away before opening the manila envelope.

"What does it say?" Reid asked almost immediately, Piper taking a second to read. "They found a mix of cocaine and heroin in your system. That's what's making you forget everything. I know you're coming down from it now. But a speedball is nothing to mess with. They also found more drugs in your car. They're testing them now."

"Piper, I swear, they were for my mom. I don't remember what -" he paused, having a sudden flashback to weeks before. "They were for my mom. That's what I was meeting her about. They were experimental, but they were helping her. Piper, I -"

She squeezed his hand, setting the file down on the floor next to her. "I know. I know you would have never done that to yourself, and I know you were trying to help your mom. But you've got to tell Emily all of this. We've got to get it on record. It'll help the investigation, at least the trafficking one. Whatever you can remember-"

"Do you think you're up to try a cognitive?" Prentiss asked, scaring the both of them. She had just walked in with her own copy of the file, and was standing behind them. "We've got to try to do as much as we can before they officially try to charge you in her murder."

Reid nodded, Piper taking a step back and promising that she would stay there while they did the interview. As Reid was led away with Prentiss, Piper took a seat in the bullpen of the jail, where officers' desks were stacked with case files and people were lounging around, half working and half taking a break. She grabbed a cup of coffee and and a snack, and took a seat, staring out the window at a cat that was loose in the parking lot. "Mind if I join you?" Rossi asked, sitting down beside her with his own cup of coffee.

"Can't stop you now," she smiled, turning to face him.

"How are you holding up?"

Piper glanced towards the room where Emily and Reid were locked away, doing the cognitive interview. "I'm holding," she sighed, looking back to him. "I'm holding, and I'm trying not to break down in front of Spence, but… Dave, my husband got arrested for trafficking drugs, and they're about to charge him with a murder he didn't commit. In another country, where we hardly have any jurisdiction. There's no way…"

Rossi nodded, telling her, "We're going to be here for you two. Wherever you need. Make sure you take some time for yourself, though. It's a lot, going through this. The kid doesn't deserve any of this."

"Thank you," Piper said, taking a sip of her coffee. She took a deep breath, trying to keep herself in check. "I can't… I can't cry in front of him. Dave, if they transfer him, I don't know how he'll hold up in prison. Maybe, just _maybe_ in an American prison, but I don't think… I don't think he can handle any of this. He's already worried about his mom, and the kids… it's been a little while, so it's not as raw, but I can't keep myself from crying if I think about it for more than a few minutes at a time. I know he's dealing with it in his own way, but it hurts him too. We lost our kids, and now he's afraid of losing his mom. Going away for any amount of time, being away from her, plus surviving on the inside… it would break him."

"I know," Rossi sighed. "Which is why we're not going to let that happen. Garcia called me. She's digging into Nadie Ramos' past, and she's found out that she's a dual citizen. We're trying to get jurisdiction to take this back to the States."

Prentiss emerged from the interview room, looking to Piper and Rossi. They joined her in the hall, away from the guards. "Nadie Ramos was definitely feeding him drugs for his mom, and they did get attacked in that room, but he's hitting a block. We've got to give it more time, which is something I'm afraid we don't have. The jail closes in about twenty minutes anyway, so we're going to need to work on this and regroup in the morning."

They split up, Piper going to say goodbye to Reid while the others gathered their things. She promised she would be back first thing in the morning, and would keep him company all day, while the team, accompanied by a few members of the international investigative team, were hard at work bringing his defense together. The team stopped for food on the way back to their hotel, where Piper immediately showered and set about working on the defense herself. She'd compiled everything Garcia had sent and everything she could pull from the Mexican authorities, and was looking at all of it on her laptop when there was a knock at the door. "Alvie, what are you doing up?" she yawned, opening the door to see her fellow agent standing in the hall.

"I came to check up on you," he admitted, Piper letting him in. "You did really well in there, so I know there's a lot you're not saying, Pipes."

She nodded, confessing, "I can't cry in front of him, Alvie. We've lost so much already, and I don't want him to think things are as bad as they are and -"

Alvez gave her a hug, promising, "We're doing as much as we can for him, and we'll do everything we can for you. I'm trying to get them to stall the transfer-"

"Transfer? What transfer?"

"They're threatening to send him to El Diablo in the morning, if they can get a judge to approve it."

"El Diablo? That's a maximum security prison, with some of the worst… Spence doesn't belong there. He doesn't… he can't go there," Piper cried, sitting down on the bed. She wiped her cheeks, shaking her head. "Alvie, they'll kill him. He's a fed,a nd they'll find out. There's no way -"

"We're going to stop it," he assured her. "We're going to stop it, no matter what we have to do."

The next morning, Piper was the first person at the jail, the receptionist letting her in as she unlocked the front office. Piper sat across from Reid's cell, watching him as he slept. He looked better than he did the day before, but he still looked terrible. He'd been through the wringer of the justice system without being totally sober, but he would be waking up with a clear head and half a memory of the last few days. They had breakfast together, Piper having smuggled in some decent food, but their day was interrupted early by a cadre of officers who marched over to Reid's cell. "Transfer time, prisoner. On your feet."

"No, you can't do this," Piper protested. "You can't move him, the evidence you have is circumstantial at best -"

"And yours is worse. C'mon, you're making the transfer van wait." They unlocked the cell, handcuffing Reid.

"Can I at least say goodbye to my husband?" Piper asked, looking between the officers.

"Three minutes." The guards leaned back on the wall, watching them as Piper and Reid embraced.

"I love you," she whispered, holding onto him as tightly as she could. "I swear, Spence, we're going to clear your name. We're going to get you out of here, and we're going to make sure we catch Scratch and make him pay for this."

Reid nodded, giving her a kiss. He held onto her for dear life, re-memorizing every inch of her, of the way her perfume smelled, of the way her glasses balanced on her nose. "I love you." It was all he could say, trying to keep her close even as the guards dragged him away. "Piper, I love you."

Prentiss ran down the hall towards her just as Piper finally broke down, Reid and the officers marching out of the room only a moment before. "Go get him. I got the extradition order pushed through. We're taking him back to the States."

As soon as they got on the jet, Prentiss took Reid's handcuffs off, finally letting him hug Piper properly. They spent the flight curled up next to each other, neither of them wanting to let go. "I'm sorry," Reid whispered, keeping her close. "I know I didn't kill anyone, and I'm so sorry. I should have told you about what I was doing, about how I was trying to help Mom. I should have… but I didn't want to hurt you, I didn't want you to think that I was in danger, even though I clearly was. I'm a terrible husband and -"

"I love you." She stopped him mid-sentence, promising, "I love you, Spencer Reid, and I'll be here with you every step of the way. No matter what happens. I'll be here with you, and I'll take care of your mom, and make sure the nurse is doing a good job when I'm not home with her, and… we're going to get through this. We're going to show the world you're innocent, even if no one believes it."

"That's the problem, Piper," he sighed, kissing the top of her head. "I don't know if I can believe it myself."

* * *

A.N.: This whole story line had me shook. So be prepared.


	70. The Plea Bargain

"Spencer is in trouble," Piper said, sitting down beside Reid's mom. She had been avoiding saying anything to her about it on the phone, but now that they had landed back in the District and Reid had been taken off to jail again, she had to tell her. It was going to be difficult, but she had to tell her. And she would have to keep reminding her every time she forgot, explaining what happened and trying to manage her reaction. Piper took Diana's hand gingerly, saying, "He's been arrested by mistake. We're working on getting him out, but right now, he's in trouble. We brought him back here t o the States, and we've got a lawyer, a good one. I'm going to visit him in jail in a few hours. I'll let him know you say hi, that you'll come and visit him as soon as they let you."

She nodded, saying, "Spencer's in jail… He's going to be okay, though, right? He has to be okay, if it's all a mistake."

"He's going to be fine," Piper promised, half to reassure his mom and half to reassure herself. "He's going to be fine." She glanced at her watch, promising her that, "I'll be back with dinner in a little while. But first I'm going to go visit Spence. You'll be fine with Cassie?"

"Of course," she sighed, giving Piper a hug before she left.

Piper grabbed lunch on her way to the jail, trying to compose herself before she went to see Reid. She'd have to start the process of talking to attorneys and police officers and testifying as a character witness. It was going to be grueling, but it would be even worse for him. No matter how hard it was for her, no matter how much stress she was under, Reid would have it even worse.

"He's not going to be fine," Fiona Duncan, Reid's new lawyer, told Piper as soon as she walked into the jail. "They're offering a plea of manslaughter - two to five years. If he goes to trial and loses, it'll be 25 years to life. You've got to talk to him about it. He's determined, but I think if you talk to him, maybe -"

"We're going to fight it," Piper cut her off as she signed in with the receptionist. "We're going to fight it, if that's what he wants. I'm not going to have him plead if he doesn't want to."

Fiona frowned, telling her to "at least consider it. It's a far better offer than I've heard in a lot of the cases I've worked on. Please, just think about it. And get him to think about it. I know he'll listen to you."

"We will," Piper assured her as sincerely as she could, rolling her eyes as soon as she was on her way down the hall to see Reid. She had to hug him through the bars again, giving him a tender kiss with the feel of cold metal on her cheeks. "Hey, Spence. How are you doing? Look, they're telling me there's a plea deal. Two to five, instead of 25 to life. I'm going to stand beside you no matter what you decide, but I still think we should fight this."

He nodded, telling her that, "I want to fight this too. I can't go and… and plea out as an innocent man. Thank you for sticking up for me, Pipes. Fiona's trying to get me to take the deal, and I know that I shouldn't. I can't."

"I hate to interrupt, but I've got bad news," Prentiss said, heading down the hallway towards Reid's cell. She had been managing things both in the jail and at the BAU, trying to bring together the best defense she could while keeping up her ties with the Mexican police, funneling evidence into the States so they could use it in court. She stood beside Piper, telling them both, "IRT found the knife you'd described out in the desert. It's covered in your blood and you prints, Reid. This… this is bad. Very bad. Fiona's had to renegotiate with the prosecutor. She's kept it down, but the new deal is five to ten. I hate to say it, but you need to consider it. Just… think about it for me, Spencer. 25 years… it's a lifetime. I'm going to go see what I can do, but…" she shrugged, looking between them. "I'll let you two talk it over."

They watched her walk away before continuing to talk. "Spence," Piper began with a sigh, "I want you to fight this, but I also want you to think about it. Just maybe... consider it. Five to ten years… that's ages. But 25 to life… I can't imagine…" She took a deep breath, looking to Reid.

"Pipes, I still want to fight this," he told her in earnest. "I have to. I'm an innocent man. That's the one thing I have to hold onto in here. That and you."

"Okay. We'll fight this," Piper resolved, taking his hand through the bars. "We'll fight it with everything we've got, FBI support or not. We're not going to let anything happen to you, Spence. We've got good people on our side."

"Can I tell you something, Pipes?" he asked, looking to the camera on the wall before lowering his voice. "Please?"

She stepped closer so no one could overhear them, carefully blocking the camera so no one could read his lips. "Of course. Anything, Spence."

"I'm scared," he admitted, finally looking her in the eye. He lowered his voice even more, sure that no one else could listen in before admitting something he'd been hiding all along, something he hadn't told her yet, even when they were on the plane home. "Piper, I'm terrified. It feels like there's almost nothing I can do about any of this. I can't help with any evidence, and I can't speed the trial up, and I can't do anything inside these walls. There's nothing to read and nothing to do and… all I can do is sit here and think."

"Spence, I swear, I'm going to do everything I can to get you out of here. We're going to go home together one day soon, and you've got to keep that in mind," she pressed. "I'll be here for everything. I love you, Spence, and there's no way I'm taking a step away from this. There's no way I'll let anything happen…"

Piper was ensured a front-row seat at the arraignment a few days later. She sat with the rest of the team, her hands clenched in her lap as the judge read out the charges, the prosecutor starting to outline the State's case. She kept quiet and stone-faced as the prosecutor spoke, the judge finally looking to where Fiona and Reid sat, asking if they were entering a plea. Reid stood, clearing his throat and glancing backwards at Piper before saying, "Not guilty."

"Very well. The defendant has entered a plea of 'not guilty'. Now to the question of setting bail," the judge said, looking to the prosecutor for a comment. He immediately rallied against it, saying Reid was dangerous, a flight risk, and could easily disappear into the world without a trace. Piper remained stoic, JJ and Alvez sitting on either side of her. They eventually took her hands, noticing how tense she looked as the prosecutor and Fiona went back and forth.

After half an hour of arguing, the judge denied him bail, saying that he would be "remanded to federal custody pending trial", something Piper found out later meant that he would be in prison for at least three months while they gathered evidence and put a rather high-profile case together.

"Ma'am, we're giving you a few moments to say goodbye," the bailiff told Piper, who was standing with the team as Fiona talked to Reid at their bench.

She nodded, breaking away from the rest of them and making her way through the courtroom to her husband. She engulfed him in a hug, whispering, "I'll come and see you as soon as I can, and I'll be there every day for as long as they let me. I promise I'll take care of your mom too, don't worry about her. Baby, no matter what happens, no matter what they do to you, I will always love you. Please, Spence, you have to remember that, please." She finally allowed herself to cry, controlling her tears just enough to not sob in front of him.

"It's okay," Reid promised, kissing the top of her head. "It's going to be okay, Pipes. I trust you. I trust all of you to build a case and get me out of here. And I know you won't stop until you do."

"I won't," she nodded, reaching up to give him a kiss. "But please, Spence, be careful. Be careful and watch out for yourself. I'll do everything I can out here. I -"

"Ma'am," the bailiff warned, telling her that her time was up.

Piper gave him one more kiss. "I love you, Spencer Reid."

"I love you too, Pipes. I love you too." He let go of her, the bailiff handcuffing him again. Piper watched as he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

The door closed, Piper turning right into Alvez, who gave her a strong hug. "We're going to get him out of there," he vowed. "I'm going to pull every string I have to get this sped up, get all of the records transferred up here, and get him the hell out of there."

"Thank you, Alvie," she cried, the rest of the team coming over to offer their support.


	71. Millburn Correctional

Another late night of working on Reid's defense left Piper sitting with a cup of coffee at her desk, opening case files and trying to sort through them as the words swam on the page. "Hey," Garcia said, leaning on the doorframe of her office. "How's are you doing?"

Piper looked up, rubbing her eyes and putting her glasses back on. "Spence… Emily told me when I got to work… they transferred him to the Millburn Correctional Facility last night. It's not too far, but -"

"It's maximum security," Garcia gasped, going over to give her a hug. "Oh, our baby can't be in there…"

"I'm going to visit him this afternoon," Piper told her, taking a sip of her coffee. It was her third cup of the morning, and it was only a few hours into the day. "They won't let me stay for too long, but I'm going to visit anyway."

"How could they move him so soon? He's supposed to be in the jail awaiting trial." Garcia pulled her phone out, looking up the records of the transfer. "It's definitely all above-board, but there's no way he should be there."

She nodded, saying, "It was a jail overcrowding thing, and they thought he could be a risk, even in there. Emily says she's trying to get him into protective custody, but I don't think that's gonna happen. I'll try too, just to see what I can do. I don't think I'm going to get anywhere, though. Oh lord, Penelope, he's in way over his head. We all are. But there's no way he's going to be able to live in that prison, especially once they find out he's a fed. And you know they will."

Piper had been in the parking lot for fifteen minutes before she went in. She'd been sitting in her car, thinking. Thinking of what she would say, of how she would apologize and try to give him as much hope as she could. Thinking of how she was going to keep herself from crying when she got in there, seeing him locked up. When she finally brought herself to go in, she had to take a deep breath, square her shoulders, and march into the lobby, where she checked in and locked her things away behind the front desk.

Following a guard towards the visiting area, she looked around, noting the drab prison decour. It was like all of the maximum security prisons she had visited while she was working on her book. All of them looked similar, blending together. But she would go on to memorize the inner workings of this one, since she would be there as much as she could. They brought her down a long hallway, telling her to sit in a room with other visitors as the prisoners were marched in. As Reid was led in with the others, his eyes immediately went to the red-haired woman sitting in one of the booths, waiting. She'd taken her glasses off to clean them, putting them back on just as he walked up. "Hey, Spence."

"Hey."

"How's it going in here?" Piper asked, leaning as close as she could. When she was fairly sure the guards weren't looking, she leaned forward and kissed him quickly, leaning back almost as fast. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "but I think they'd yell at me if I took any more time than that."

Reid smiled a little. "Thanks. I wish… I wish I could do that again. You know, you're what I think about at night, Pipes. Every time I have to throw a blanket over myself and lay there, staring at the ceiling or at the wall, you're all I can think of. Curling up next to you, with the string of lights on, laying there in our warm bed and not wanting to get up no matter how many times our alarm went off… especially when it was snowing outside. We could watch the snow falling and not have to move… I wish it… I wish I could wake up like that again tomorrow and have all of this be over. Have it be some sort of terrible nightmare that I'll wake up from and tell you about."

"How are you doing in here, Spence?" Piper pressed, looking him over. He had dark circles under his eyes - well, he always did, but these were markedly worse - and he hadn't shaved in a few days.

"I think this gang wants me involved with them," he confessed. "I'm not going to do anything, but they're pressing me a bit. It's not that great in here."

"Okay. Just stick with what you believe in and keep your head down, okay, Spence? We'll have you out of here soon."

"Hey Ginger!" Piper turned to look at the man who was yelling, seeing that he was just a few booths down. "Too bad I'm in here for life, or you wouldn't need that man of yours!"

"Yeah, baby, I'll be out in five! Just you wait, honey!"

"Hey, shut it!" Reid hissed.

"Quiet, prisoner, or you'll end visitation early!" a guard bellowed, Reid rolling his eyes and turning back to Piper.

"Sorry, I just don't want them looking at you like that," he explained, glancing back at the men who had yelled at her. "They shouldn't."

"I know, but I've been to plenty of prisons before," she reminded him. "But if this is what I have to go through to see you, it's fine. Don't… don't do anything stupid like that, Spence. I can handle it. I just don't want them ganging up on you later."

"Five minutes left," a guard announced, walking up and down the row of prisoners.

"There's something else," Reid whispered, Piper leaning as close as she could. "Do you know who Calvin Shaw is?"

"Wasn't he an agent with the Detroit Bureau? I mean, until 2005, I think it was, when he killed his CI because she was going to expose part of the work he had been doing," Piper thought back. It had been a huge scandal back then.

"Yeah, that's him. He's taken me under his wing. He somehow figured out I'm… who I am," Reid said, stopping himself from revealing anything more. If anyone put it together that he was an FBI agent, he would have a target on his back immediately. "He's been helping me. They respect him in here."

"That's good," Piper smiled as much as she could, under the circumstances. "I worked with him once, right after I got out of the Academy. He was a good guy. I don't know how - or why - he would just snap like that and kill her. But they did their own internal investigation, and whatever they found, well, he's here now."

Reid bit his lip, finally saying, "I'm glad… Pipes, this is a terrible thing to say, but I'm glad the kids don't have to go through this. Seeing their dad in jail, thinking I killed someone, all of it." She swallowed, about to say something when he clarified, "You know what I mean. No that they're gone. Just that they don't have to go through this. I know it's hell for you. And Mom."

"It is," she said, struggling to keep her voice level. "Losing the kids makes it even worse… Mr. Scratch is slowly chipping away at our lives, taking everything we care about. First it was the kids, now it's you…" She didn't want to add that his mom could be next, but she still worried about her, even with an agent living in the house and a nurse with her whenever Piper was out. Even if Scratch left his mom alone, eventually her own brain would take her from the. "We're going to make it, Spence. We have to. You know this is what he wants, to see us fall apart. To see our family fall apart. We can't…" she twisted her wedding ring on her finger, continuing, "we can't lose each other, Spence. We can't."

"We won't," he promised as the guards came by, telling them to get up and that visiting time was over. "I love you, Pipes."

"I love you too. I'll be back tomorrow, Spence. I'll be back as often as they let me," she told him quickly. "Please, keep your head down and be careful, baby."

"I will," he vowed, standing and pushing his chair in. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Piper blew him a kiss as the prisoners filed out, Reid looking back one last time as he went through the door that would lead him back into the bowels of the prison.

She couldn't sleep that night either. She hadn't slept well in a while. After Reid's mom had gone to bed, she usually sat up reading until she dozed off. Or she would be working on his case. Or going over case files until she fell asleep on her desk or in bed with a pile of files and manila envelopes.

" _Twenty-seven by thirty-eight… one thousand twenty-six possibilities…" Reid mumbled in his sleep. Piper rolled over to look at him, Reid not moving his arm from around her waist. Even if they went to sleep at different times, they would always end up like that, Reid holding onto her, half for his own comfort and half for hers. She could see him mouthing more math problems in the glow of the strand of lights they kept on all night. "Divided by the square root of…"_

 _She brushed a strand of hair out of his face, giving him a gentle kiss before settling back down, listening to him start to mumble 14th century poetry as she dozed off again. They were both jolted awake by the door slamming open, half of a SWAT team coming in, yelling something about murder charges._

 _And then she was sitting there, in a cold room. She'd been in a room like this before. They were all the same - two rows of chairs facing a glass wall, a police officer standing at the door. These rooms were rarely used, but when they were, it made the headlines. She was front and center, the customary officer stationed at the door. Nate sat on her left, looking straight ahead. Sophie was on her right, swinging her feet since she couldn't reach the ground. The officer at the door yawned, looking like he would much rather be at home in bed than at an early-morning execution. Piper turned to look through the glass - she'd always looked straight into the prisoner's eyes as it happened, trying to see what they saw and feel what they felt in their last few moments. Some of them had been scared. Some of them had flipped off the crowd. Some of them had been absolutely stone-faced to the last. She had never cried, but walked out of the room feeling hollow. But this time was different. She was looking into a pair of eyes that she knew so well. He was wearing glasses, since they didn't want to have to try to take contacts out of a corpse's eyes. It just made it easier on the doctor._

 _He was saying something, mouthing her name as the first needle went into his arm. She jumped up, pressing her hands to the glass as he got the second injection. She wiped at her eyes, seeing that he was crying too. The kids were next to her now, Piper covering their eyes and trying not to cry too audibly for their sake. "Spence, I love you. I love you. I love you!" He had closed his eyes, the doctor looking at his watch and nodding. "Spencer!"_

Piper bolted up in bed, nearly shaking in fright. She looked around, seeing the comforting glow of the lights that she still plugged in every night, even when Reid was away. And even now, when he had been gone for a while and would likely be gone for even longer. Of course, his side of the bed was still made, except for the corgi-sized dent that Chester was occupying. The dog was snoring away, unbothered by nightmares about anything. She sighed, leaning back in bed and looking at the clock. It was only 2:47 AM. Lots of time until morning.

 _Reid blinked, seeing the light streaming in from their bedroom window. It was fall, all of the leaves changing colors. He could vaguely see the Halloween decorations they'd put up, but he didn't get much of a chance to look. Piper had rolled over in bed, putting an arm around him. She gave him a sleepy kiss, mumbling, "Do we have to get up?"_

" _Of course not," he smiled, glad to be holding on to her again. "We can stay in bed all day if you want to."_

" _Only if you want to. I mean, your mom's got breakfast planned, but we can push it back to lunch. Or to dinner if you really want," she smiled, running a hand through his hair. "Happy birthday, Spence."_

" _Thanks, Pipes." He smiled, happier than he had felt in a long time. "Hey, you know what? I love you."_

" _I love you too," she laughed, the two of them sitting up as they heard footsteps coming up the stairs._

" _Happy birthday, Daddy!" Sophie giggled, jumping onto the bed as hard as her four year-old legs could propel her. Piper caught her, Sophie settling in between the two of them. Nate jumped right up too, all of them giving Reid a hug._

" _Happy birthday, Spencer." His mom stood in the doorway, taking a picture of the four of them laughing together. Chester was sitting at her feet, patiently waiting to be fed, even though sophie had been sneaking him pieces of bacon in the kitchen all morning. "We've got pancakes downstairs. That little lady sure knows how to cook."_

" _Grandma, I helped!" Nate insisted. "I made the bacon! Well, I helped."_

 _Reid laughed, suggesting, "Why don't you two go wash your hands? Mom and I'll be down in a second." Nate and Sophie jumped down from the bed, following their grandmother down the stairs as Reid turned to Piper, who swore it wasn't her idea. "It doesn't matter," he smiled, giving her a kiss. "I'm just happy I have all of you."_

Reid rolled over in bed, waking up to see the cold metal bars of his cell. He was still smiling, at least until it hit him that he would never have a birthday like that again. His life had been turned upside-down, and it would never be the same. Especially not now, when he was stuck in a cell that was hardly bigger than a broom closet. He sat up in bed, looking out of the bars. The man across the hall was snoring. The cell block was relatively quiet, a couple of people coughing or getting up to use the bathroom, but everyone else still dreaming.


	72. Framed

It was early when Piper set out for the prison, stopping by Garcia's to pick up some letters that she wanted to have delivered. Garcia had set up a visiting schedule and a letter-writing schedule, but she knew Piper wouldn't stick to it. Piper visited as often as she could, but took days off to allow the team to visit or work on Reid's defense. She would spend half of the day at work, getting through as many files as she could, and then spend the rest of the day working on Reid's case, making phone calls and ordering information and paperwork. She'd only stop to go home and make dinner with Reid's mom, who would help her on the good days and distract her on the bad. But she was always willing to help other people, even if they were strangers who had been wrongly put in prison. That's how Piper would explain it on bad days - she was taking on the case of a man who had been wrongly put in prison. She never mentioned Reid's name, hoping she wouldn't have to relive it again.

She would walk into the lobby, smiling at the woman who sat behind a pan of bulletproof glass. She'd sign in and sit down, letting the woman process her name and issue her a visitor's badge. When enough people had gathered, they would be shuttled to the main building, some of them talking and some of them remaining silent. Piper had gotten to know a few of the regular visitors - there was the old woman who had faithfully visited her husband every day for the last 36 years, after he'd been convicted for running a Ponzi scheme and costing people millions of dollars on the stock market. Then there was the couple who would trade off days, coming to visit their son. And the woman who had been bringing her son to visit his dad for the last ten years, the boy growing up a little more with every visit. They had all formed some kind of odd bond on the shuttle rides, asking each other about their jobs and their families. On the inside, Piper was sure none of their imprisoned family members were friends, but they had all banded together in a weird form of camaraderie.

They would be herded off of the bus, shuffling through another metal detector. If they'd forgotten to leave their phones or their watches in the lockers back in the lobby, they would be collected then. Everyone would be sent into the visitation room, waiting together as their relatives were brought in. Piper would be watching the doorway intensely every time, waiting to see Ried and assess how he was doing as he walked in. This time, he looked exhausted, and was sporting a black eye. "Spence, what happened to you?" she whispered as he sat down, looking over his shoulder.

"Nothing," he shook his head, shrugging the question off.

"Spence, you're hurt," she insisted.

Reid looked over his shoulder again before whispering, "Please, Pipes, just don't ask. It's easier if you don't. It's easier on all of us. Please don't ask. I'm fine."

Frowning, Piper said, "Okay, but if anything is happening to you in here -"

"Please. Don't. Ask," he pressed. "Please. It'll only make it worse if you try to do anything."

"I won't," she promised, trying to think of what she could do. At least tell Fiona. Try to get him into protective custody.

"How are you doing?"

"I've been better," she shrugged.

"You look like you haven't had a decent night's sleep in a while," Reid observed.

"Yeah, well, neither do you." She smiled a bit, trying to read him as he profiled her.

He bit his lip, saying, "You also look like you've been crying, Pipes. A lot. Like you were crying this morning while you were trying to put your makeup on. I'm sorry if I -"

"Spence, it's not your fault. I'm stressed, that's all. I'm working on the defense and I'm doing my own job, and I'm taking care of your mom. And I can't stop thinking about you being in here and…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "It's okay, Spence. I'm fine."

He frowned, quickly reaching over and squeezing her hand from across the table. Those five seconds of contact would linger in both of their minds for a while. They would crave being able to do that again, to feel the safety of being with each other, even if it was only for a couple of seconds. "I wouldn't blame you if… if you wanted to step back."

"What do you mean, Spence?"

"Divorce rates for couples where… where one of them is incarcerated for a year or more is around 80%," he told her, Piper frowning. "If you need to… to step back, or take a break from all of this, I wouldn't blame you."

"Spencer, I'm not going anywhere," she insisted. "I'm not going anywhere. I told you I'd be here for you through the whole thing, and I will be. There's no way I'm leaving you, Spence. I love you, and I made a vow to stay with you no matter what. We've been together for so much. We've held each other through so many terrible things, Spence. We've survived so much together. There's no way in hell I'm going to just get up and leave now."

He smiled a bit, nodding. "Okay. But I'd understand it if -"

"Never," she vowed. "Never, Spencer. I love you, and I always will. No matter how much we have to go through, I'll be here as much as I can, and I'll be here when you get out. I'll be the one you get to walk out of that door with, and I'll be the one who takes you back home to everyone. I swear, Spence, there's no way I'm giving up on you."

As she was on her way into work that day, Piper was thinking about how uncertain everything was. They had no idea when the trial would be, and no idea how they were going to prove he was innocent, especially since he could hardly remember anything.

Tara would be going later in the day to try another cognitive interview, but their hopes weren't too high. Piper had offered to do one, hoping to spend more time with Reid, but Prentiss had told her she was too close, that it would compromise the investigation and the credibility of anything they got if they used it in court. "Besides," Emily told her when Piper asked again, "if you hear something you'd rather not hear while he's going through all of that, you might not come back from it."

Piper signed in, heading down to her office and telling Garcia hello before she got to work. Tara stopped by before she went for the cognitive interview, promising that she would bring her some news. Rossi stopped by with donuts, bringing them around the office and chatting with her and Garcia for a bit. Prentiss stopped by with a new stack of files. Alvez was the first one to actually sit down and talk. "How's the daily parade going?" he asked, Piper sighing and rubbing her eyes. "You don't look so good."

"I know. I wish they wouldn't all find excuses to come by and check on me every day. I'm fine, really," she admitted, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Third cup of the day?"

"Fourth," Piper laughed, shaking her head. "I'm living on coffee nowadays. But really, Alvie, I'm fine. They just don't seem to believe it."

"I think they just want to see that you're okay, because it makes them feel better if you're doing well. If you're looking optimistic, they think there's more hope in the case, or there's been a break in the case or something," he told her, profiling the team. "Prentiss does the same thing, trying to make sure she's the one we can look to. If she's okay, we've got the situation under control. She -"

He stopped as Prentiss walked into the room. 'You're going to hear this soon enough, but someone just got killed in that prison," Prentiss said, looking past Alvez at Piper. "An inmate named Delgado. He was ambushed. The prison's moved Reid to a separate cell, but still…"

"Delgado? He's - was - one of Spence's friends," Piper sighed. "This is going to crush him."

"I know. He… he was killed in front of Reid. Tara's talking to him about it, but I don't know what this is going to mean for him. I'm sorry," Prentiss offered grimly. "I'm so sorry. Fiona's trying -"

"I know. We just… we just need to get him out of there," Piper resolved, looking back to her computer. "I'm going to email you what I've got when I send it to her. I've been combing through the records Mexico just sent."

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything." Prentiss disappeared back upstairs, Alvez looking at Piper, who had grown quiet.

"You've got to talk to him about this," he told her, "when you go next. He's definitely going to need to talk to someone about it, and I know he'll be willing to talk to you. Reid's a strong guy, but he needs you. I talked to him about you once," Alvez admitted. "He'd asked me how long we knew each other… I think for a while there he thought we were together for a bit. But he told me about how you met, about how nervous he was to ask you out, about how he kept telling himself not to screw this up. And about how fantastic you are. You two have been through a whole lot together… you're good. You're really good. I don't think I've seen another couple who's supported each other through so much."

"Thanks, Alvie," she smiled, taking her glasses off to rub her eyes. "We have been through a lot. But after everything… I don't know how we're going to manage this. But we will. Somehow."

A few hours later, Tara knocked on her door. "Hey. Sorry to interrupt, but I went to Millburn to visit Reid."

"How does he look? Honestly," Piper asked as Tara sat down. "He won't tell me everything… he's hurting, Tara."

"He is. But we did have a break in the case. He's starting to remember what happened in that room. He's remembering another person in there, which is good. We've just got to prove it. Now that friend of his who got killed… that's hurting him," Tara admitted, passing her a copy of Reid's file. "It's all in here. I'm not supposed to give you this, but you are an FBI agent. Read it like that, not as his wife."

"There was someone else in that room? He's sure of it?"

Tara nodded. "He thinks it was a woman. He thinks it was a woman who was trying to frame him for Nadie Ramos' murder. I wish we could comb that room for DNA, but I don't think we're going to find anything more. We've got to work with what we have in Evidence."

"We'll find something. We just have to keep going through it. Process everything again. I don't know how, but we've got to find something. Scratch is good, but there's got to be somewhere where he slipped up."


	73. Lindsey Vaughn

Piper's phone rang while she was sitting at her desk, trying to get work done in the little time that she had at the BAU. "Piper Reid, BAU."

"You have a collect call from Millburn Correctional Facility. Do you accept the charges?" a metallic voice asked.

"Yes."

"Connecting… connecting…"

"Piper," Reid spoke quickly, "you've got to check on Mom. She and her nurse came here, but it's not Cassie. It's Lindsey Vaughn."

"Cassie was with her when I left," Piper said, logging out of her computer. "I'll get a team together and head over to our place. We're going to get her back, Spence."

"She said something about her being the day nurse. I'm thinking Cassie's the one you leave her with, then Lindsey comes in an hour or two later, since you leave early in the morning," he told her, the words streaming out at an incredible pace. "Piper, you have to go get her. She's my mom." The note of desperation in his voice made Piper worry even more.

"I'll let everyone know, and we'll have her back soon, Spence, I promise. Try not to worry about her," Piper suggested as she locked her office up and went to find Garcia. "I'll get an APB out on Lindsey Vaughn and head over to the house. I'll make sure we get her home safely, Spence. I love you."

"I love you too." He hung up, Piper immediately launching into action. She shoved her phone into her pocket, telling Garcia to get everything she could on Lindsey Vaughn and to alert the team. By the time she made it upstairs, the team was assembled, splitting into two cars. She jumped into an SUV with JJ and Alvez, trying to call Cassie while they were driving. There was no answer, as she expected.

"She's not here," Alvez called back to the others, sweeping the house. "Hopefully Garcia can find something on Lindsey Vaughn."

JJ came down the stairs, shaking her head. "She didn't pack a bag. They left in a hurry. But Lindsey Vaughn still knew that Reid would recognize her. That means she's not thinking too far ahead."

"She's got an endgame in mind already, or she's only an intermediary for Scratch," Piper said from the window. She turned to face the others, continuing, "Lindsey Vaughn's going to be hard to track. Witness Protection records are hard to hack. Garcia's working on the back at the BAU, but she's running on time we don't have."

"We'll head back there and see what we can do from the Bureau," JJ resolved as they filed out of the apartment, Piper locking the door behind them.

As soon as they got back, Piper ran down to the basement offices that she and Garcia split. "Any news yet, Penelope?"

"No," Garcia frowned, shaking her head as she continued to type. "I'm trying to hack WITSEC while they process my formal request, but I'm not getting anything on Lindsey Vaughn. I'm halfway through, though. I think. I mean…" She looked up at Piper, who sighed and sat down next to her, taking over a computer.

"Let's get cracking." Piper and Garcia set to work, trying to get anything and everything they could on Lindsey Vaughn. Garcia was running a set of facial-recognition algorithms when Piper gave Reid a call, telling him that they were working on it, and that they would have her back soon. "Garcia and I are tracking Lindsey down, and the rest of the team is working on a lead from Metro PD. They think they found Lindsey's car. No blood or anything, though. They're on the run."

Reid sighed, telling her that, "She's got to be working with Scratch on something bigger than kidnapping Mom. There's a bigger plan behind all of this, to get at us."

"I know," Piper nodded, leaning back in her chair. "I know. But we're going to get her back and stop him, okay? He's not taking anything else from us."

"Pipes, he's already taken the kids and put me in prison. I… I could get the death penalty for this. And now he's got Mom. He's taking everything."

"I've got her car," Garcia announced, Piper turning to look at the monitor next to her. "I've got it traced down to your building. Apparently she got a parking sticker there. I think she's been living next to you guys under a different name. Just give me a sec."

"You hear that, Spence?" Piper asked. "We've got more on Lindsey. I've got to get going, but we'll keep you updated as we find things out, okay? I love you."

"I love you too," he replied before hanging up.

Piper set her phone down next to her keyboard, taking a sip of her coffee and saying, "Let's do this." Garcia nodded in agreement as she kept searching their building's records and asking questions about their neighbors. They tracked Lindsey down to an apartment down the hall from Piper and Reid, texting Prentiss and letting her know as soon as they figured it out.

JJ and Walker went to check it out, calling back into the BAU to tell them that, "We've got Cassie. It looks like she's been dead for a few hours. No sign of Lindsey Vaughn or Reid's mom. We're calling in a forensics team now."

Prentiss turned to Piper, who had been filling her in on what they had found when JJ called. "We've got to tell Reid. I'm sending Walker and Luke to talk to Lindsey's dad as soon as they come in." Piper raised an eyebrow, Prentiss clarifying. "I've got some contacts in WITSEC. When they found out that this has to do with Mr. Scratch, they were a little more willing to help. C'mon, let's get to the prison before visiting hours are over."

Within the hour, Piper and Prentiss were sitting across the table from Reid, who looked more stressed and exhausted than Piper had ever seen him. She longed to hold his hand more than anything, but the guard leaned against the wall, frowning at the three of them. "Spence, Lindsey Vaughn was living down the hall from us for a while. She was in the place next to Ms. Cavanaugh in the middle of the hall. JJ and Walker went to check her place out…"

"And?" He leaned forward, deducing, "You wouldn't have come all the way out here just to tell me that."

Piper frowned, admitting, "You're right. They went to investigate and they found Cassie. She'd been dead for a little while. Lindsey Vaughn is definitely dedicated."

Reid dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his eyes before responding. "Have you found anything on Mom yet?"

Prentiss took over, filling him in on everything. "Walker and Luke are on the way to Michigan to talk to Lindsey's dad. I pulled a favor from WITSEC to get his location. Well, narrowed down to a city. I got the ballistics report on the way here - the gun used on Cassie matched the gun we had on file from Lindsey's dad years ago. It also matched around 15 murders on the US-Mexico border. All of them have links to drug cartel business."

"That's good then, isn't it?" Reid asked, sitting up a bit more. "It means she's a cartel hitwoman, and that it could have been her who killed Nadie Ramos. It makes sense."

"Circumstantially, yes," Prentiss agreed. "But we don't have any solid proof that she was there. It's a good sign, but there's nothing we can do with it just yet. Besides, it's a big change in MO if she did that."

"She's been doing Scratch's work for him," Reid insisted, looking between Prentiss and Piper. "It makes sense that she wouldn't want it connected to the cartel murders."

"Spence, we're going to get you out of here," Prentiss promised. "But right this second, we're focusing on getting your mom back safely. We're going to keep you updated, but you've also got to keep up hope. We're going to get both of you through this." Prentiss stood, saying, "We'll see you soon, Spence. Piper, I'll give you two a second, but we've got to get going."

"Okay." As Prentiss asked the guard a question, Piper leaned closer, whispering, "They're going to yell at me, so we have to do this fast." Reid nodded almost imperceptibly. Piper looked to the guard, being sure he was turned away, focusing on Prentiss before throwing her arms around him, giving Reid a kiss as quickly as she could.

"Hey, no physical contact!"

"Told you so." She stepped back, both of them smiling a bit. "Sorry, officer. I haven't seen my husband in a while." Every time she would visit, something along the same lines would happen. Eventually, the guards would yell at her almost jokingly, and she would apologize for show, but for now, they were still seriously angered by infractions of their visitation rules. "Goodbye, Spence. I love you."

"I love you too. Now go find my mom," he said, Piper saying her goodbyes and heading out with Prentiss and leaving him with the promise that they would have his mom back soon.

As soon as they had walked out of the visitation room and were out of earshot, Prentiss turned to Piper, telling her that, "Scratch is going to be playing mind games with the both of you. The only reason I haven't pulled you from this is because you're our best link to seeing how Reid is doing, gauging his reaction, and figuring out how he thinks to see how Scratch would best exploit him. We both know he could keep her alive for a while, or he could have killed her already. Are you prepared to lie to him in the event that she doesn't make it out alive?"

Piper hit the button for the elevator, giving her a solemn, "Yes."

"You're sure? You might have to tell him we're still working on it even if she doesn't make it, if it means we can lure Scratch out."

"Yes."

Prentiss nodded, leading the way out of the elevator and back to their car. She would end up having Piper stay with Garcia, working on tracking Lindsey Vaughn through CCTV cameras around the city while the others were busy hunting down leads with Metro PD. That happened a lot, Piper staying with Garcia while the others went out. After all, she had taken over the press Liaison job, and she'd become the one who funneled cases to the team, so she would be in the office a lot anyway. But it was agonizing not being able to go out in the field with the rest of them, especially on case like this.

They had just settled back into work with cartons of Chinese takeout when Piper's phone rang. Garcia picked it up, since Piper had gone to find some soy sauce. Her face dropped as she listened, finally hanging up and looking to Piper. "Reid's been stabbed by another inmate. They said to tell you you can come and see him. He's gonna be okay, but -"

"It wasn't another inmate," Piper determined, grabbing her purse and looking for her keys. "I know him. He did it to get into protective custody. Prentiss was working on it, but obviously he didn't think it was happening fast enough."

"I hate to ask, but you don't think this has anything to do with his mom, does it?"

"I don't know, but it very well could be," Piper sighed as she left. "I'll call when I get out of there." She rushed to the prison, thankful that there weren't a lot of people headed there that late. Visiting hours had been over for a while, but this was a special circumstance if she had ever seen one. She was escorted to the protective custody wing, past a bunch of cells, and into the one visitation room at the end of the hall, where Reid was waiting. He'd been wrapped in bandages, but she could tell that he had been bleeding pretty badly. "Oh, Spence…" Ignoring the fact that there was a guard right next to her, she gave him a hug, saying, "I'm so sorry it had to come to this."

The guard said nothing. He'd seen this plenty of times, and he'd gotten to know her pretty well. She was a federal agent, after all, and he trusted her. Besides, her husband had been through a lot. Finally, he had to remind them about the rules, but added, "I'm going to stand here and scroll through Facebook on my phone. If I don't happen to see anything, I don't happen to see anything."

"Thank you," Piper smiled a bit, taking Reid's hand from across the table. "Spence, what happened?"

He told her a convincing story, Piper reacting appropriately as she watched him blink out the real story in Morse code. She was right - he'd done it to himself, since he was being threatened by a gang in the general population. "I'll be here until it's safe," he assured her.

"Still, Spence, that's terrible."

"At least I'm relatively safe in here," he shrugged, Piper squeezing his hand.

"Even so, it's still awful that this happened," she told him, moving her chair over so she could put her arm around him and whisper, "We're going to get you out of here, Spence. And when we do, we're going to go home and get you cleaned up and have a night in, and then we're going to hunt down Peter Lewis, even if we have to go to the end of the earth to do it."

"I like the sound of that." He smiled a bit, kissing her cheek before he leaned his head on her shoulder. "As soon as I'm out of here, I'm not letting you go."

"Me either," she promised. It would have been an odd moment to someone looking in from the outside, but it had become their new reality, only being able to be together in prison. The two of them were constantly exhausted, craving the presence of the other and the knowledge that even if they weren't perfectly okay, they would be there.


	74. Homecoming

A.N.: I'm watching Stranger Things as I type... season 2 is amazing.

* * *

Piper made it back to the BAU around eleven that night, walking into the conference room to see everyone still there, hard at work. JJ, Walker, Tara, and Alvez were clustered around one end of the table, hunched over their laptops as they built a case. They would occasionally turn to one another to say something, but went back to their work quickly. Prentiss and Rossi sat at the other end of the table, on the phone with Fiona and a few other legal experts. Garcia was stationed at another table, her things spread out all over in her mobile command center. All of them had coffee mugs by their sides. "What is all of this?" she asked, looking around the room.

"We're getting Reid out of there," Prentiss told her, handing her phone to Rossi. "I'm on hold with someone in the Justice Department now. I'm going to try to get him out tomorrow. I'm making an appointment to talk to the judge in the morning. We're not going to let him sit in here if we can help it."

"And all of you are staying?"

"Yeah," Tara nodded, getting up to grab some coffee. "We all decided to put in a bit of extra time for Reid."

"First all-nighter I've pulled since college," Alvez chipped in. "Emily, I've got a bit more on the crime-scene mapping software. It's running slow, but I've got more put in. At least, if I coded it right."

Piper followed Tara to the coffee machine, pouring herself some coffee and smiling. "Thank you all. I don't know what Spence and I did to deserve you. But thank you."

They stayed there all night and well into the morning, running home for showers and a change of clothes only when Prentiss went to meet with the judge. Piper only had enough time to shower, change, and thank Ms. Cavanaugh nextdoor for watching Chester before she had to leave again, Prentiss calling her back to work. They met up at the courthouse before heading for the prison, Prentiss making phone call after phone call on the way.

Reid was pulled out of his cell by a guard who told him, "You've got visitors."

"It's not visiting hours…" he mumbled, wondering what could be going on. He rubbed his eyes, looking around and trying to make sense of it all.

He was marched into the visitation room, where Piper and Prentiss were standing. Piper reached out, taking his hand before giving him a hug. "We're taking you home, Spence. We're taking you home."

"What?"

"Emily got enough evidence to convince a judge that we need you on the outside. I don't know how she did it, but she did," Piper explained in a rush of words. "It doesn't matter now, though. We're taking you home. You're going to grab your things and come with me, and as soon as we drop Emily off at the BAU, we're going home and grabbing some of our things. We've got to get a hotel room, since it's still a crime scene, but… I'm getting you a nice hot shower and a real meal wherever you want and…"

Reid kissed her forehead as she started crying, telling her, "Thank you, Pipes. Thank you, Emily. I…"

"Go get dressed, Spence. We can talk when we're on the road."

Piper and Prentiss waited in the lobby while Reid was processed, finally taking him home an hour or so later, after he'd finished a lot of paperwork. Prentiss filled him in on his case and his mom's case as they drove, but as soon as she was out of the car, Reid looked at Piper, saying, "I hope you were listening, because all I could really do is think about how I'm back outside. And watching the trees go by. I haven't seen real trees and a real landscape in months, Pipes."

"I know, I've got it," she smiled as they turned back onto the highway. "We're heading to the hotel first so you can get cleaned up, then we can go home and get some of our stuff, okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded, looking out the passenger window. Piper glanced at him as she drove, thankful that she had him back.

While Reid was in the shower, Piper sat on their hotel bed, looking at her laptop. She'd dozed off a couple of times, but had woken up when she almost fell off the side of the bed. The last time, it had been because Garcia had called, telling her that Lindsey Vaughn had been linked to an address in DC. The team was tracking it down as they spoke, Garcia had said. Hopefully they could get some leads out of it, sooner rather than later.

As Piper drove, Reid was content to be able to look out of the window as a free man, watching the highway roll by as they made their way home. The apartment was still being considered a crime scene - for the second time that year - but they would be allowed back in, since they owned the place. Prentiss had made sure of that, clearing it with the local police in advance. "Hey, Spence, let's grab dinner first. Whatever you want, we can go and get," Piper offered. "We've got time. They'll let us in whenever we want, and the team is busy working on finding your mom. I know you want to get out there," she added before he could speak, "but you deserve a little time off to get used to being back on the outside. Even if it's just a shower and dinner, you deserve something."

"You're not going to give me an option, are you?" he deduced, turning to look at her. It was wonderful to have her back, to be able to sit next to his wife again, to hug and kiss her whenever he wanted. But he longed to be back on the case.

"Mmm, no," Piper smiled, turning off of the highway. "Of course not. We're getting you a real meal. You've got to be starving by now."

They managed to have a somewhat normal dinner, Reid only checking his phone a few times to see if the team had found anything. Afterwards, Piper took her time driving out to the apartment. She dreaded coming home more and more now with the kids gone. She could barely walk past their rooms, and having to keep explaining who the kids in the pictures were and why they weren't around anymore to Diana had taken its toll on her. Now she was living with Garcia for the time being, since their home had been declared a crime scene. Since Reid was home, they were going to stay with Rossi, who had plenty of spare space in his house. But for now, she hesitated to go back there.

There were still police in the apartment when they arrived, Piper taking Reid's hand and looking to him before they went upstairs. "Spence -"

"I know," he nodded, Piper having to say nothing more. "Let's go."

Climbing the stairs and passing a few officers, they split up in the apartment, Piper going to pack some of their clothes while Reid looked around the scene, taking everything in. Piper had already been through it, trying to see if there was anything the investigative team had missed, but she thought it would be good to have a second set of eyes. As she was folding one of his shirts, Reid came upstairs with a piece of paper in his hands. "Pipes, look at this."

"'XX-XY'," she read , flipping the note over in her hands. "A woman and a man. Lindsey Vaughn's got to be working with Scratch."

"That's what I thought," Reid said, tucking the note into his pocket. He sat down on the bed, watching her pack. "You know, I hated falling asleep there. I just couldn't. I missed our bed, and the Christmas lights, and you, and… it was just so different."

Piper smiled sadly, setting the suitcase on the end of the bed before she sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "One day, we'll be able to sleep normally again. I don't know when, but one day." She paused, looking up at him and saying, "I think, after all of this is over, that we should move. I don't think either one of us can live in this house after everything that's happened here."

"We can start looking at places as soon as we have Mom back," Reid resolved, Piper checking her phone.

"Spence, Garcia just texted. She said… she said the team went to investigate Lindsey's house in the District. They found a lot of stuff, but there was one thing… they found a video of Cat Adams. She was saying she imitated Scratch, that she did all of this to destroy us," Piper filled him in as she sat up, closing the suitcase and checking the bathroom to see if there was anything else she needed to grab. "She's still in prison, and I don't know how she's been organizing this… she's got to have someone working with her. But we've got to go and see her."

Reid was already up, straightening his jacket and heading downstairs. The met up in the car, Piper throwing their suitcase in the back. "JJ's going to meet us there. Prentiss wants someone else there with us. I can understand why. We probably shouldn't be there anyway, but…" She shook her head, pulling out of the driveway. "I can't believe any of this."

They were quiet as they drove, JJ giving them a call to say that she was going to be waiting in the lobby. When they parked, Piper turned to her husband, saying, "Spence, I'll be there the whole time."

"Yeah. C'mon, let's go get my mom back."

Before Piper could say another word, Reid had gotten out of the car, waiting for her. She made sure to lock it, looping her fingers in his before they set off for the prison.


	75. Proof of Life

They had checked in and were on their way down a long hallway, following a prison guard towards the solitary confinement wing when Piper took her husband's hand again. When they stopped in front of the interview room, she squeezed his hand, saying, "Remember, Spence, she's criminally insane. She's going to say things that… she's going to try to manipulate you and throw you back intot hat… that dark place you just came out of. I'll be here the whole time, though, if you need something grounding." Reid nodded, the three of them being led into the room where Cat was waiting.

She looked them up and down as Reid took a seat across the table from her. "Well, well, well, this is the wife, isn't it? Pleased to meet you. And how are the kids?"

Piper and JJ shared a look before Piper smiled, saying, "They're doing quite well. Much better off than you are, I'm sure."

"I like her," Cat resolved, telling Reid, "I really do. But how did she end up with you? I mean, look at her. She's said what, twelve words to me, and I can tell she's brilliant." She smiled, looking up at Piper. "I've read your book, by the way. Big fan."

"Thank you. I've read your file. Not as much of a fan," Piper shrugged, standing behind Reid. "But you know that's not why we're here."

"Where's my mother?" Reid asked, ignoring any further pleasantries. "What have you done with her?"

"Hmm, no," Cat frowned, leaning back in her chair. "They need to leave." Piper watched JJ bend down to whisper something in Reid's ear before stepping out of the room. "You too, sweetheart."

"I'd much rather stay here," she said, putting a hand on Reid's shoulder.

"Hmm, I don't usually like the wives watching."

"Too bad."

Reid looked up at her, putting his hand over her own. "You know she's not going to talk if you're here. I'll be fine, Pipes."

"Aww, so that's what you call her? How sweet," Cat sneered.

Piper rolled her eyes, leaning down to whisper, "I'll be right there behind the glass listening to everything. And I can be back in here in two seconds if you need me." She gave him a kiss, adding, "I love you, Spence."

"I love you too." He and Cat watched her go, Reid turning back to her and starting to negotiate as Piper found JJ waiting outside for her.

"You too, huh?"

"Me too," Piper sighed, crossing her arms and turning to watch through the observation window. "I can't wait until we're done with all of this Cat Adams and Mr. Scratch business for good. She better know something about him, because I'm sick of this."

JJ sighed, leaning on the wall. "I hope she does. But there's nothing we can do about it now. It's up to Spence to get us something." She paused, watching Reid and Cat talk. "Prentiss approved?"

"Emily knows this is the only thing that'll get her to give us any information," Piper told her, starting to pace as they listened in on the conversation. "We've got to have Spence in there, or she's not going to tell us anything at all. I just hope she doesn't do any more damage than he's already got."

"How's he holding up, by the way?" JJ asked, glancing over to where Piper was walking.

Piper shrugged. "It's a bit early to tell, really. He's been sublimating a lot while we try to find his mom, but I'm sure things are going to start catching up with him. And once we have her back, he won't have that block to keep him going, and all of the floodgates are going to open on everything we've been going through for the last year. It'll all hit at once, and I have no idea what it's going to be like when it does."

JJ pursed her lips, saying, "I know you've had years of training with stuff like this, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. And I'm speaking for the whole team, not just Will and I."

"Thanks."

"Like I said, you have a secret," Cat was sneering inside the interrogation room. "One you'll never admit to. And you have four hours to figure it out, or Lindsey will kill your mother."

JJ turned to Piper, who had just sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Now he's going to be on edge and… we've got to figure out how she was getting informaion out of the prison and spying on Spence. My bet is that it was a guard, one the two facilities have in common. I… I'm going to go call Garcia." Before JJ could reply, Piper had her phone out and was dialing the BAU's number.

"Hello?"

"Emily? Where's Garcia?"

"I had her step out for a moment. Piper, you're the only one I'm going to tell this to, because it could cost me a whole lot if anyone knew about it. I'm putting Lindsey Vaughn on the Amber Alert list as an abductor. People pay attention to Amber Alerts," Prentiss told Piper as she typed. "I'm not supposed to be doing this at all, but from what I know, we don't have a very long timeline to work with here."

"That's what I was calling to tell you. We've got four hours," Piper said, looking back at JJ, who was monitoring the conversation happening in the room next to them. "Four hours until Lindsey kills her. We've got to figure out who Cat's been working with and use them to get to Lindsey. Emily, You know if he loses his mom too -"

"I know. If he loses her after all of this, we'll lose Reid," Prentiss nodded. "We've got people here working on it. Garcia's out in the hall running matching software on all of the prison personnel now. I'll let you know as soon as I know anything. Is Reid making any progress?"

"She's trying to get him to admit something, but I don't think he knows what it is," she sighed, looking back to where JJ was watching Reid. "I'll let you know if anything changes here." Piper hung up, coming back to listen in on the conversation.

"You'll never admit it, not with her listening," Cat was saying, Reid glancing over at the window. He couldn't see out, but he knew that Piper was listening. "I know you, Dr. Reid, and you'll never admit it in front of your wife. It would crush her."

"You want me to admit I'm in love with you."

Cat laughed, shaking her head. "No, no, no. Look at the way you look at her. You're so in love with her. They might call me a psychopath, but I see the way you look at her. The way you two interact, the little things you say and do… I can read people, and I know what love looks like."

Reid got up, pacing to the window and back. Piper could tell that he was thinking, that he had connected the dots in his head and was trying to figure out how to tell her. He turned to face Cat again, deducing, "You're pregnant. You're pregnant, and… it's mine."

"There you go," Cat smiled, Piper shaking her head. She went to lean on the wall opposite the mirror, JJ following her as Cat kept talking. "You want to know how I did it? Of course you do. I had her drug you, and then I came in and pretended to be her. I had you pretty convinced. Maeve Donovan, the love of your life. Oh, you hardly knew your own name by that point."

"No. She's the love of my life," Reid contradicted, looking towards where he knew Piper was standing in agony. "Piper's the love of my life." He stood, walking out without another word. As soon as the door was closed, he looked to Piper, taking her hand and apologizing immediately.

"Spence, I know it's not you."

JJ bit her lip, grabbing the file that she had requisitioned earlier. "I hate to say it, but the timeline matches up. I know it couldn't have been you, but that's the reason she's trying to pull this. The timeline matches up, and she's trying to use it to scare you."

"Can I talk to Piper for a second?"

"Of course." JJ took the file, stepping out into the main hallway.

Reid sighed, finally meeting her eye. "Piper, I'm sorry. I still don't remember everything that happened that day, and… if it could be… if there's any way that this kid could be mine… Piper, I'm so sorry. I -"

"Spence, it's okay. She's a psychopath. Psychopaths twist things so much, I know it's not yours. It's got to be the person who was helping her on the inside, Spence. It's not yours," she assured him, wrapping her arms around Reid. He set his chin on top of her head pensively, Piper continuing, "I know it's not yours."

"What's going to happen to this kid?" Reid wondered aloud, the two of them leaning on the wall and looking in at Cat, who was glaring back at them.

"It'll grow up in the system," Piper shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be a Witness Protection kind of thing. They have part of the program dedicated to kids who were orphaned or who grew up in the system. Whatever happens, this kid will never have to know it's mother."

Reid nodded, thinking. "I should get back in there. The clock is ticking. Have they found anything yet?"

"They've got a list of common suspects," Piper replied, walking with him to the door. "Garcia's narrowing it down right now. Good luck, Spence."

JJ returned soon after, she and Piper talking things over while Reid was back in the room talking to Cat. They were shaken out of their conversation when Reid began demanding a proof of life, since his mother could have been killed hours before. Cat called for Piper and JJ to come in too, so she could have witnesses there. She took Reid's phone, dialing Lindsey, who talked for a moment before passing the phone over. "Spencer? Spencer, I -"

"Okay, that's enough," Lindsey said, taking the phone back as Reid's mom yelled behind her.

Piper looked to Reid, about to say something before they heard an explosion, the phone call dropping off. Piper grabbed Reid's hand, trying to steady him as Cat shrugged. "You got your proof of life, didn't you?"


	76. Reunited

"Your mother is an Alzheimer's-ridden moron getting dumber by the day," Cat spat, Reid having turned on her. Before Piper and JJ could sop him, he lunged for her, grabbing her by the neck and nearly toppling the table.

"Spence, no," Piper yelled, grabbing his arm. JJ grabbed his other arm, the two of them pulling him off of her. "She's pregnant, you can't."

Cat coughed a bit, finally looking up to smile malevolently at them. "Look at you go, Spencer Reid. Look at you go. Prison's done a lot to you, I see. Made you a new man. We might not be that different at all."

"Spence, come on," Piper frowned, pulling him into the hall as JJ kept talking to Cat. Reid sighed, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands as he sat down on the floor. "Spence, you can't… you know what they're going to say when -"

"I'm scared, Piper," he admitted, keeping his voice low. "I'm scared that this is who I am now."

"That's not you, Spence," Piper promised as she put an arm around him. "That's not you. You… everyone gets stressed beyond their breaking point, and with everything we've been through, I'm surprised we didn't snap earlier. I know that's not you. I know how hard everything's been, and I know you need time and that this is only making things worse. This isn't you, Spence."

"She had eyes on me in prison," Reid sighed. "Has Garcia found anything yet?"

"No, but she's working on it. She should have a name soon."

Reid nodded, looking at the door of the interrogation room. JJ had just walked out, turning to the two of them. "She'll be fine. But she says your time is running out." He rolled his eyes, standing and heading for the door again.

"Spence?" Piper stopped him for a second, giving him a hug and whispering, "Be careful. I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her cheek before heading back into the room, Piper going to join JJ at the observation window.

"How's he holding up?"

"He's… he's holding. As best as he can." Piper pursed her lips, watching Reid and Cat talk. Their conversation was muffled, but she could hear them talking about children, Cat bringing up their kids and trying to gauge Reid's reaction. She must have heard something about them, something the guards had told her. Her phone rang, Piper stepping out to take the call. "Hey, Garcia?"

"Oh, no, you sound stressed," Garcia frowned.

"Just tell me that you have news. Even if it's bad, tell me you have something."

"I have a one Lionel Wilkins, a guard at Millburn and the prison you're currently standing in," Garcia said, filling her in on what she had found. "I also have an address for him, a little cabin. I've got the team on the way out there right now. That's got to be where Lindsey's hiding. Please tell me that's good news."

"That's good news," Piper nodded. "I'll tell Spence."

"How's my baby boy doing?"

"He's doing as well as he can," Piper sighed, giving her the standard reply. "He hasn't completely broken yet."

"Make sure he's okay, will you? Please?"

"I will. I think the info will really cheer him up. Listen, Pen, I've got to go, but thank you so much." Piper hung up, telling JJ everything before heading into the interrogation room.

Cat looked up at her, stopping mid-sentence. "What do you want? I thought I told you I don't like doing this in front of the wives. I figured you were smart enough to understand what that meant."

"Oh, I am. In fact, I'm smarter than that, which is why these games are over," Piper told her, putting a hand on Reid's shoulder. "You see, Cat, I knew you couldn't have done all of this on your own. I mean, sure, you might have picked up a few details, but in solitary for so long, someone had to have told you things. Carried messages out, brought news in. Someone must have been there for you, your only connection to the outside world. I'm sure you got pretty close, closer than you should have been. Lionel Wilkins was good to you, and you were good to him, weren't you?" She watched Cat's expression change, the woman growing angrier.

"How could you have known about him?" she fumed, glaring at Piper. "You know you're ruining everything here, don't you? I've got your precious Spencer, he's fine. You can go back out there and let us talk."

"We're not playing any more games, Cat." Piper leaned on the table, Reid watching her work. "We're done with that. We're done with the games, and the dancing, and all of the lies that you've been telling trying to destroy our lives. We have a team on the way to Wilkins' house right now. They're going to find Lindsey and Diana there, aren't they? Don't try to lie to me, I know how to read people. I do it for a living. We're going to find them there, and Lindsey and Wilkins are going to get locked up too. I know about what Lindsey did, trying to make us think she killed Diana. But she's too valuable of a bargaining chip for you to have had her killed. I know about Wilkins protecting all of you. I know about everything, Cat, and it's time to give it up. Spence, JJ and I are going to be outside. Say your goodbyes and then we can go meet your mom and the team."

As she left, Reid looked to Cat across the table. "You knew I liked hurting those men. You got pregnant with Wilkins to put me in a position like thi, but you know what? I wish it was mine because I don't deserve her. I don't deserve a woman like that, not at all. She's an angel, and there's no way I deserve that. We deserve each other." He got up, leaving her without another word.

Piper gave him a hug as soon as he walked out, saying, "You deserve so much better than me, Spence. You deserve the world. Come on, let's go get your mom."

They met up with JJ, who drove them back while Reid and Piper sat talking in the back seat. Halfway home, Rossi called to say that they had made it back, that Lindsey Vaughn had been arrested and they were on their way back to the BAU with Reid's mom in tow. As soon as they got there, Reid ran for her, Piper letting the two of them reunite while she went to talk to Prentiss.

Prentiss was in her office, Piper walking in to find her talking to someone standing there with her, someone she hadn't seen in a long time. "Derek!"

Morgan gave her a hug, smiling. "Long time no see. How's everything?"

"Oh, you know, just the usual serial killer kidnapping Reid's mom game," Piper shrugged with a laugh. "We got it all sorted, though. What made you come back here? Miss the old bullpen and cramped quarters on the jet?"

"Not quite," Morgan sighed, pulling up a text on his phone. "I got a message from Garcia's phone that said you, Reid, and his mom are in a safe house. I know that's something they wouldn't tell me, so I came in to talk to Emily about it. They gave me an address too."

"I'm going to send the team out there," Prentiss determined. "You, Reid, and his mom are going to go back to that hotel like we planned. You can stay there and we'll get a protective detail on you. You don't need to worry them."

Piper nodded, glancing between her and Morgan. "Keep me updated, will you?"  
"Of course," Morgan promised. "I'll tell you everything I know."

"I'll keep you in the loop. Just take care of them," Prentiss assured her, checking her phone. "Garcia's mapped out the address. Get Reid and his mom, go back to the hotel, and I'll send them out there."

Piper gave Morgan another hug before heading back out to the bullpen, telling Reid and his mom that they should, "Probably get going. You both need your rest. It's been a long day for all of us."

"We should. Let's get you some dinner, mom. It's late, but you should have something to eat," Reid suggested, Piper following them out of the BAU bullpen and heading for the car.

They were halfway through their meal when Piper's phone ran. SHe got up to answer it, heading outside of the restaurant to talk to Garcia. "There was a car crash. Simmons from the international team and I are on the way out there, and we're getting backup, but I think some of them were hurt pretty bad."

"Oh god," Piper breathed, leaning against the wall of the restaurant. She was watching cars go by, thinking of what had just happened. "Let me know if anything happens. We're going to get settled… I might get Spence and his mom to sleep, and then I'll be right there with you. Oh my god, Penelope…"

"I've got to go, but I'll call you and let you know - we're here."

"Be careful, Penelope."

"We will," she promised. Piper could hear Simmons saying something as she hung up, putting her phone in her pocket.

Piper looked through the front window of the restaurant, watching Reid and his mom laughing together over dinner. There, in that moment, they were happy together, and she had to go and tell him that their teammates had just been in a terrible car crash. She would have to go and ruin that. She sighed, running a hand through her hair before heading back inside, taking her husband's hand, and explaining what had just happened. They weren't going to have a peaceful night at home after all.


	77. Wheels Up

"Gacia and Simmons from the International team are on their way out to the scene," Piper explained when they got to the hotel. Reid's mom had gone to take a shower, and when she returned, they told her they had to go check on everyone else. The two of them would be meeting Garcia and Simmons at the hospital. Piper drove without saying much, Garcia calling them on the way there. "You're on speaker, Penelope."

Garcia was crying, eventually handing Simmons the phone. "Hey, I'm sorry I've got to be the one to tell you this, but Walker… walker died on impact, and Prentiss is missing. We think Mr. Scratch has her. He's the only one who could have pulled this off."

Reid looked to Piper, who had gritted her teeth as she drove. "We'll see you at the hospital, Matt." He hung up, setting her phone in a cupholder before saying, "Pipes, you know they're not going to want us looking for her, but -"

"We're looking for her," Piper resolved, turning into the hospital parking lot. She parked near the front, taking off her seatbelt and turning to her husband. "We're going to check on all of them, then head to the BAU and start hunting down Emily. There's no way Garcia's going to be in any condition to do anything, so I'll be working research. I -"

"Pipes, c'mon," Reid sighed, getting out of the car and waiting for her. He took her hand as they walked in, signing in at the front desk and getting their visitor's badges before heading to the emergency department. Garcia was waiting, running over and hugging the both of them.

Simmons and Alvez followed in her wake. "Hey. You heard about Walker?" Alvez asked, giving Piper a hug.

"Yeah," she nodded. "It's terrible… have they called his wife yet?"

"Not yet. We're going to call her soon. But Rossi's refusing treatment until he talks to us, Reid."

"I'll stay here with you, Pen," Piper said, sitting down with Garcia, who had started crying again. "Spence, go ahead. We'll come back to the BAU with you all in a bit." Reid nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Fine."

"It's not another headache, is it?" He was already gone, following Alvez into Rossi's room. She sighed, turning to Garcia. "Tara's still asleep, right?"

"Yeah. JJ's going to be out soon. She just needed stitches," Garcia sniffled, wiping at her cheeks and looking into Rossi's room. "Tara's still out, and Rossi's refusing treatment, but he looks like he'll be okay once we actually get him some help. JJ's - JJ! Over here!"

JJ came over all bandaged up, taking a spot by the two of them. "Hey. How are you feeling?" Piper asked.

"A bit banged-up, but I'll be fine. We've got to figure out what happened to Prentiss. Tara was next to her, but… well, she wasn't awake when we all came in," JJ answered, getting up to buy a bottle of water from a vending machine. As she fished quarters out of her pocket, she added, "It's got to be Scratch. That's what Alvez and I were thinking."

Simmons walked up, telling them all hello and taking a seat. "Hey, Piper, good to see you again. Well, not like this, but it's good to see you."

"Hey, Matt. How's being back here with us?"

"I've missed it," he admitted with a bit of a laugh. They all turned to see Reid and Alvez coming back, Simmons standing up again to shake Reid's hand. "What's up with Rossi?"

"He told us we have to go into his office and find some tickets for him," Alvez shrugged. "I'm thinking there's got to be something else we're looking for. He's got all sorts of things in that office, but I don't know what we're looking for."

"Walker's files," Piper thought aloud. "Walker was brought on to help hunt down Mr. Scratch. He's got to have a whole lot of files that he shared with Rossi, and they've got to be hidden somewhere."

"Let's go," Reid resolved, heading for the door already. Piper and JJ shared a look, knowing that he wanted to be out of the hospital as soon as he could. They shook their heads and followed. Simmons resolved that he would stay with Rossi and Tara until she work up, the rest of the team piling in Piper's car and heading for the BAU.

"You need time to process everything," Alvez was saying. He had been talking to Reid while the others were searching for the files. Garcia went to turn on her computers, JJ and Piper taking apart Rossi's office and whispering about Reid. "You've got to take some time."

Reid shook his head, rubbing his eyes again. "We've have to find Emily."

"Look, I know what this is. It's PTSS -"

"Like PTSD, I know," Reid sighed, turning to look at the evidence board that they had been putting up.

"It's a syndrome, not a disorder," Alvez told him, crossing his arms. "There's nothing wrong with you, it's just that you've been through a whole lot, and you need some time to process the impact of it all. And this isn't helping."

"I know it isn't helping, but we need to find Emily before it's too late." Reid turned away, Piper stepping back into the office to keep looking.

JJ looked over at her from where she was sitting at Rossi's desk. "He's in trouble, isn't he?"

Piper bit her lip, nodding as she opened another set of drawers. "He hasn't slept since I brought him home, and he's still insanely stressed. The kids, the prison, Cat, Walker, Prentiss, all of this is so much. And there's still his mom… JJ, I'm going to make him take some time off after this. I know he's not going to step off of this case until it's over, but afterwards, we've got to take some time."

"Of course. Take all the time you need," JJ said, pulling a stack of files out of a locked drawer. "I've got them."

"Knock, knock," Garcia laughed, walking in and looking at the files they had spread all over Rossi's desk. "Give me your phones," she mouthed, putting them into a box along with a few others. "Okay, there we go. I think Scratch has been listening in from our phones. We've got to keep them locked in this box - it cancels out cell signals so he can't track us through them. Okay, so we've got all of these files, and I'm going to forward you all the stuff I have on my computer. We're assuming he already knows what I had, but Walker kept everything on paper. Can you get something from this stuff?"

"Yeah," Reid resolved, walking into the room with Alvez. "We have to." He grabbed a stack of the files and marched out to his desk, starting to flip through them immediately.

The four of them he left behind resolved that they would keep working on it. "I'm going to go talk to Walker's wife. She should be getting here soon," Alvez offered. "JJ, if you want to head back to the hospital and see if you can talk to Tara, Piper, Garcia -"

"We're on it," Piper smiled, "and we'll have everything up and running soon. I'm going to put on a pot of coffee and move my laptop up here to work with everybody in the bullpen. We'll have something -"

"I've got something," Reid called. "There are printouts of texts here between Prentiss and Hotch."

"What?" They filed out of Rossi's office and over to Reid's desk, reading over his shoulder. "Prentiss was texting Hotch? Wait, I thought no one was allowed to know where he is. Or how to contact him."

"Wait, you said Scratch was watching all of us, right? Well what if Walker and Prentiss faked those texts to lure him out of hiding?" JJ proposed, sitting down on the desk and leafing through the printouts Reid had been looking at. "We had a hit on him in Honduras, which is what it looks like they were talking about. 'B-CAP'... what's B-CAP?"

"It has to be a code," Reid through aloud, standing to pace. "It has to be a code for something. I… I need to think. Everybody out."

JJ frowned, setting the printouts back on the desk. "What? Spence -"

"Everyone out, I need to think. Everyone except Piper."

"He'll do this sometimes," Piper whispered, walking the others to the door. "If he really needs to think, he'll want absolute silence. All I'm going to end up doing is sitting here being quiet and letting him talk to me. I can't even go on the computer, since I type too loudly for him when he gets like this. I'll read over all of the files while I'm waiting," she promised, walking with the rest of them to the door. "Go find me something. Or find me Emily."

Everyone else left, Piper going to sit in the corner and read. She would look up every so often, glancing at Reid while he thought. He paced, mumbling under his breath and running every code he could think of in his mind. Piper was engrossed in a file when she heard a loud noise, making her jump. "God, Spencer, what the hell?"

"It's a plant. B-CAP is a plant. Actually it's a hallucinogenic drug, but… I should have seen this earlier. Pipes, I'm slowing down. Last year, I would have gotten that in sixty seconds, and now it's taken me almost sixty minutes," he sighed, picking up a book from the floor.

"Well, don't abuse my books," Piper said, closing her file and getting up. She gave him a hug, adding, "The most important thing is that we got it. We'll let the others know. There's got to be… I don't know, some cult or something that uses this stuff. I'll have Garcia run it." As they headed for the door, Piper stopped him, saying, "By the way, Spence, you need to give yourself time. You literally just got out of prison. We've been through a whole hell of a lot lately, and it would take anyone time to bounce back. It's going to take time for you too, my lovely genius." She ran a hand through his hair, giving him a bit of a smile. "We should take some time off, move across town, all of that."

"After we find Emily," he resolved.

"After we find Emily."

"We found his servers," Garcia reported as soon as Reid and Piper came back into the room. "Simmons and I have got them. We're going to take them down, and I'm trying to pin down the warehouse that he's got registered to a fake name…"

"I've got it," Simmons announced from where they had been working. "Let's go."

They piled into cars, speeding down the road to the warehouse. As they jumped out and put on their bulletproof vests, Piper turned to Reid, grabbing his arm a moment before he walked away. "Spence, be careful in there. I know… I know you're going to want to shoot first and ask questions later, but please, be carefully."

"I love you," he pressed, giving her a kiss.

"I love you too, Spence. Let's go get her." Piper drew her gun, splitting off from the rest of them. She followed Rossi into the building, getting a final glimpse of Reid before they crossed the threshold.

As they swept the rooms in their quadrant, Piper started to think they were in the wrong place, but there was still hope. The rest of the team might have found something, even if it was just a clue. Suddenly, there was a lot of yelling in a room across the building, followed by a clattering of footsteps that Piper and Rossi ran towards. They took the stairs two or three at a time, bursting out onto the roof to see two shadows looking over the edge.

They found Alvez and Simmons standing on the roof. "He fell trying to get away."

Rossi nodded, all of them knowing that even if he had been thrown off of the building, they would have all agreed on paper. "Where's Prentiss?" Simmons asked, looking to Piper and Rossi.

"Over there," Piper pointed, looking off of the room towards where Reid was walking Prentiss out of the building. "It looks like she's alright. Thank goodness."

It was nearly two weeks later when they had all reassembled at the BAU, standing together after Walker's funeral. Prentiss had gathered them in the conference room, announcing that Simmons would be staying with the team. "And the Director has ordered us all to take some time off. We've had quite a year, but I know we're going to come back from this stronger than ever."

Reid and piper exchanged a glance, knowing that they would be busy during their break. There was a lot to do, especially with Reid's mom living with them. They would have to hunt down a new apartment, box everything up, and move. And stay on top of the work Simmons would be doing, forwarding them information even while they were on leave. And deal with their own issues, everything that they had been burdened with in the last year. But like Prentiss had said, they would be able to handle it. And afterwards, it would be wheels up.


	78. The Big Move

A.N.: Have a specialo Thanksgiving chapter, my loves! Also, check out reidingminds on IG for more Reid updates every day.

* * *

"Have you seen the guest bathroom towels?" Piper called, making her way around stacks of boxes in the living room of their new apartment. "Spence?"

"In the office," he called back. Piper made her way over to see him organizing books, alphabetizing everything by author's last name and title. He had piles of books everywhere, and was looking for a list he'd made. "You bought so many new ones in the last few weeks, half of the list is going to be irrelevant."

She shrugged, sitting down on the desk to watch him. "I know, but they're all good. You've read some of them. But do you know where the guest towels are?"

"Try looking by the linens," Reid suggested. He stood up, stepping between rows of books to give her a kiss. "You know, I'm glad we found a new place. I'm glad I don't have to sleep down the hall from… from a crime scene. And I'm glad Mom's happy in her new room."

"Me too. I just hope we get everything in the living room and the kitchen unpacked before the team comes over. There isn't a whole lot left, but we'll see. Rossi said he's picking up Alvie and heading over around seven, right?"

"Yeah. I'll make sure we've got everything for dinner. There's got to be stuff we forgot to get from the store."

"Thanks, Spence. I'll unpack my desk stuff later. If you can get these books at least kind of sorted, that would be great. I'll finish everything up out there," she suggested, making her way carefully back to the door, trying not to knock over any of the piles that he had made.

"Hello?" Garcia called, walking into the living room. Piper sighed, checking the clock. She was two hours early. "I thought I'd come by with a housewarming present and help you get the rest of this stuff unpacked."

"Thanks," Piper smiled, taking a pie that she had made into the kitchen. "This looks great."

"Penelope's famous pecan," Garcia told her, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Everyone else is bringing things too, but they'll be here later. Do you want me to take over the kitchen?"

"It can wait, since not everyone's going to be in here," Piper reasoned. "Can you help me finish the living room? I've got almost everything arranged, but there are still a ton of empty boxes to take care of, and the bookshelves too."

"I can't believe they're making us take so much time off," Garcia sighed, following Piper into the living room and starting to unpack things. "Ooh, didn't you interview this guy? He was a terrible one, wasn't he?" She set the book on a shelf, adding, "Shouldn't the serial killer books be in the library?"

"Yeah, some of the boxes got mixed up. I'll make sure Spence gets the right ones."

Reid appeared a few minutes later, coming to pick up some boxes. "Hey, Garcia. You're pretty early."

She came over to give him a hug. "Yeah, but I missed you two."

"We missed you too. Piper'll tell you, I'm going crazy here. Mom and I have been all over the city. We've been to every museum and the zoo three or four times each, and she and Piper have been to every art museum in a twenty mile radius. At least we've got moving in to think about now." He took the box of books from her, adding that he would be back with a box for the living room.

"We're both going crazy not having cases to work on." Piper stepped back from where she was setting photos on the mantlepiece, making sure everything looked alright. "At least we've got the files that Simmons sends us to look over, but we still need something to do… I'm surprised Spence hasn't started learning a new language yet. Well, another one. He mastered Turkish in four days when we first went on leave."

"I've been writing programs like crazy. I swear we'll be able to decode almost anything by the time we get back," Garcia told her, starting to hang up some curtains. "I think I've got these backwards… yep, the tag goes the other way. But we've got programs for every code you could think of, plus some. And I rewrote some of our location software to narrow things down even faster. I started painting again, and I learned everyone's part for the play I'm going to be in… you're right, we're all going to go crazy if we don't get back to the BAU soon."

Piper nodded, thinking about how the night before, she and Reid had just finished setting up their bedroom when he asked if she had any ideas about the backlog of unsolved cases they had in the system, because he'd "solved a handful of them out of boredom, even though all of the unsubs so far have died, since I'm still on the ones from the early 1900s." She'd looked through a few of the files herself, and had been flagging some of them to go over later.

"Do you still have all of the potted plants?"

"They're in the kitchen window," Piper told her, moving to adjust the rug. "I just put all of them there for now. I've still got to water them before I put them anywhere. Diana's got all of hers decorating her room already, though."

Reid made his way back out to the rest of them, saying, "I've got everything squirrelled away in the library for now. I'll get it all organized later. What do you need help with?"

They spent the next few hours getting ready for their housewarming party, guests arriving one by one with dishes full of food and other housewarming presents. It was only over wine and dinner that Prentiss revealed that Reid had been officially reinstated on the condition that for every hundred days in the field, "They want you teaching for a month at the Academy. You can give seminars on whatever you want, but they want you to take a month off for every hundred days you're out in the field. I know it's a lot, but that's what I argued the brass down to."

"I'll slide you some of my old lesson plans," Piper joked, taking a sip of her drink. "Or maybe you can teach from a wonderful book published by a fellow agent, that took years of research -"

"I'd be honored," Rossi smiled, looking to Reid. "Any one of my books would make for a good lesson, I'm sure."

Reid laughed, promising them that he would think about it, but that "Piper's going to have me teaching about her interviews no matter what, I'm sure."

They spent their evening talking and swapping stories over dinner and dessert, looking forward to getting back to work and flying across the country to consult on cases again. Will and Piper agreed to go out for lunch, since they hadn't seen each other in ages, and Prentiss promised Reid some more files, since Simmons had been keeping her updated, even more than the other team members. As everyone left, Reid and Piper promised the team that they would see each other again soon, and that they would jump right into their work when they got back to the BAU.

After the final person had said goodbye, Piper sat down at the dinner table again, laying her head down in the middle of coffee cups, saucers, and dessert dishes. Reid sat down next to her, Piper looking over to mumble, "You know, I'm exhausted."

"Me too," Reid nodded. "Mom's already gone to bed. Let's at least get all of this in the dishwasher and then go get some sleep. It's already half past eleven."

Piper sighed, sitting up and starting to reach for the dishes. "I'll get these taken care of, if you want to take Chester out for a bit of a walk before bed."

"Okay." Piper watched as Reid hunted Chester down, grabbing his jacket before heading outside. She smiled a bit, setting plates into the dishwasher and thinking of how they would all be back to work soon. No more only seeing each other once or twice a week, no more trying to make plans over the phone, no more being bored out of their minds. They would be back at work, back with their wheels up and case files waiting. She sighed, thinking of the last time they had all been together in that conference room, when they were fighting to hunt down Mr. Scratch, no matter what it took out of them. How tense it had been, how people had held their breath while they worked. How they'd all lived on coffee and takeout for days. They had hardly left the office, only going home to shower, grab fresh clothes,a dn

"Hey."

"Oh my god, Spence, you scared the hell out of me," Piper gasped, having nearly dropped the coffee cup she was holding into the sink. "Sorry… sorry, I was thinking about the last case we all worked together."

Reid put a hand on her shoulder, staring out the window with her. "Did we sleep at all back then?"

"No, I don't think so. We caught naps here and there, but that was pretty much it." She turned to give him a hug, Reid kissing her cheek. "You know, I've missed it. Not when it's like Mr. Scratch, not when it's us… not when it;s one of us who's getting hurt. But I miss hunting people down, and coming up with profiles, and all of that. I miss it, Spence. Is that weird?"

"Not at all," he told her. "C'mon, let's get these finished and go to bed."


	79. Ferell Strikes Again

Piper was back in her office when Prentiss knocked, telling her they needed to meet in the briefing room. "We've got something more pressing than whatever you're screening now. You've got to see this… you'll remember it." She disappeared almost as quickly as she had appeared. Piper sighed, logging off of her computer before heading upstairs and finding the others. She sat down next to Reid as Garcia began to talk.

"A young woman was discovered in a Florida rest stop bathroom with a pentagram scratched into her chest and a massive slash in her throat. The teenagers who reported it say they found the body a little after midnight."

Rossi looked up from the file that he was reading. "Her fingers and legs are missing, and her jewelry was set up equidistant from them. We've seen this before, with the Ferell case."

"Floyd Ferell, the psychotic cannibal?" Reid asked, looking at his file. "It seems like it. That's his signature."

"The one who fed parts of bodies to the search party? That was nearly ten years ago," Piper added. "I hate to say it, but it's got to be a copycat. I mean, he's been locked up in a psychiatric hospital ever since. He was ruled unfit for trial, and…" She looked up at Garcia, who had grown pale. "And he was hospitalized since then."

Reid squeezed her hand under the table, noticing the change in her tone of voice. Piper tapped out a message in Morse code as the others kept talking. _This was the case we worked when she got shot. PTSS._ Reid nodded, squeezing her hand again.

On the flight out to Florida, Piper spent much of her time re-reading over the Ferell files, but took a moment to text an old friend, mentioning what had happened in the briefing room. JJ was staying behind to help Garcia out, but Piper knew there was more that they could do for her. Besides, they hadn't seen an old friend in a while.

"Simmons, Reid, Piper, I want you three to go to the psychiatric hospital and check on Floyd Ferell. We're assuming this is a copycat, but someone has to be feeding him details. Maybe he works with Ferell," Prentiss suggested. Piper set her phone down, nodding along. "Tara, Rossi, I need you two to head over to the morgue. Alvez, you're with me. We've got to start victimology and talk to the locals. They've got all of the case files from Ferell's case waiting for us. Garcia and JJ are tracking down the only known survivor. Maybe we'll be able to get something out of her too."

While Reid and Simmons went to talk to the hospital administrator, Piper went to find Floyd Ferell. She sat down across from him in the small visitation room, noticing that he looked much older than he had ten years ago, but hadn't changed all that much. He still wore the same round glasses - Jeffrey Dahmer style, she thought. Fitting, for a cannibal. Well, a man they had always suspected of being a cannibal, even though they couldn't pin anything down. "Hi Mr. Ferell. I'm sure you remember me. We met almost a decade ago, back when we were first working on your case."

"I remember you," he nodded, shaking her hand. "You're the woman who spent so much time talking to me back then, trying to see if I was crazy. But you did your job, and I ended up here, now didn't I?"

"Yeah, about that -" Piper stopped herself, realizing that he was going to try to use this new killer as an opportunity to get out of the hospital. He'd be blaming it on someone else. The copycat could plausibly be the real killer all along, setting him up and getting him locked away, at least until they were forced to prove it wasn't him at all. The FBI knew it was him, but the legal team would be fighting it on grounds of not having solid evidence. So she would have to play into the fantasy for a little while. "About that, Floyd… I came to talk to you because we think there's someone else out there imitating what happened ten years ago. Someone is trying to make us think you're… you're getting out and hurting people, or that you're telling someone to hurt people, and I just don't think that's true."

"You're right, for once." Floyd said, leaning forward to confess, "There's someone out there, and he's doing it again."

"You remember last time how you told us there was someone else? Well, not in as many words, but you used 'we' a lot, and -"

"I have a friend who tells me what to do."

"What is this friend like?" Piper asked, leaning on the table. "What's his name?"

"I don't know. He told me what to do, and I did it."

She leaned back, thinking. "Okay. Why don't you tell me what it's like in here? Do they have art classes? What about the garden? I saw it on our way in. Do they let you work in it?"

Floyd nodded, looking over her shoulder. "It's nice out there, in the garden. Digging things up, and -"

"Visiting time's over," a doctor announced, knocking on the door as he entered. He was followed by a woman who Piper only assumed was Ferell's lawer. "They're pursuing the idea that he's being framed, and we're not supposed to let him talk to the police any more."

"I'm not the police," Piper smiled as she got up. "I'm a doctor. But we do have to go. I've learned everything I need." The doctor and lawyer exchanged a look, Piper leading them out.

She met up with Simmons and Reid, telling them that she thought they were in more trouble than it seemed at first. Simmons agreed. "He's been on home visits. They weren't supposed to let him, but they say he's been a model patient, and he's always supervised, at least according to the facility."

"Shit, that means it could be him," Piper sighed, walking out with them.

"Not according to his lawyer. Prentiss called and said they're having some legal hangups. And Rossi and Tara have some information they want us to see."

Back at the police station, Rossi and Tara were waiting with some x-rays. "The latest vic had fingers in her stomach. But they aren't hers. That means there has to be another one out there somewhere," Tara told them.

"Feeding them fingers was inside knowledge. We never revealed that to the press," Rossi added, looking around at all of them. "Either this guy has an accomplice that he's been feeding things to, or he's back at it again."

"His lawyer thinks he's being framed," Prentiss frowned. "So we have to pursue that theory too, just so we can get to him. And so we can have access to the evidence. Reid, Simmons, you're on stakeout duty tonight. Piper, you and Alvez replace them at midnight. If we can't dig anything up on him, we can see if we can catch him in the act. His sister's house isn't too far from here. The rest of us are going to go through every record that we have from his case and see if we can find something we missed earlier."

Late that night, Piper and Alvez sat outside of Floyd Ferell's sister's house, dozing off as they waited for something to happen. All of the lights had been out for a while, and everything had been quiet, Reid and Simmons had reported. Nothing interesting except for the occasional raccoon and a car alarm going off down the road when a teenager tried to sneak out. "They're going to search the house tomorrow," Piper announced, looking at her phone. "Prentiss says they've got nothing yet, but they're going to try to look things over. No warrant, but if they let us in, they let us in."

"Hey, how's Garcia doing?"

"She was shot right in front of her apartment while we were working on this case ten years ago," Piper sighed, looking towards the house. "She's doing as well as she can, but it's bringing a lot back for her. I texted Morgan while we were on our way out here. He's going to go check up on her, hopefully cheer her up a bit. If anyone can do it, it'll be Derek Morgan. Now I don't think we're going to get anything on him tonight. My bet's with the search in the morning."

"Whatever you say," Alvez yawned, getting out of the car. "There's a 24/7 gas station at the end of the road. I'm going to grab us some coffees. The others don't get here until 7 AM."

"Good idea," she yawned in response.

Piper turned out to be right - the next morning, the group had split up, Reid, Simmons, and Alvez going to talk to Ferell and get a look around his sister's house. Alvez ended up splitting off from them, following Ferell to his Bible study group while the other two searched the house. Piper was back at the police station with Prentiss, Rossi, and Tara, when they got an alarming phone call. Rossi knocked on the door of the room they were questioning the only survivor of Ferell's last string of attacks. "Can I borrow one of you?" Piper looked to Tara, getting up and following Rossi out into the hallway.

"What's wrong?"

"Reid and Simmons found a shrine in a locked closet. He's been killing again. This almost proves it."

"Almost," Piper said, her lips pursed. "That might not be good enough, especially with this case being brought up to get him out of there. Sheryl Timmons is saying… well, it seems like there could have been more than one person behind it all. We could be wrong."

"Excuse me," a police officer jogged up to the two of them, a file in his hand. "Sorry, but we've got another body. They found her in a warehouse a little while ago, and it looks like the case y'all are working on. Time of death… well, it was while Floyd Ferell was locked away."

Rossi and Piper shared a look, the two of them knowing that they would be facing an onslaught of press if this got out. "Do us a favor and don't tell the press just yet," Rossi instructed. The officer nodded, heading back towards the bullpen. "There has to be someone else. But these bodies, the report here says it's a little different. There are hesitation marks on some of the cuts. Lots of this seems just a little bit off."

"Whoever it is, he probably knew the victim," Piper suggested, Rossi handing her the file. "He couldn't have been operating earlier - this is someone Ferell met and influenced, but he hasn't been a partner for long. The first victim was probably one of his targets, and now he's branching out because he's got a taste for things like this, pardon the pun."

Rossi agreed, suggesting that they bring in the next of kin to see if they could establish any sort of connection. Piper wouldn't sit in on the interview - she was working with Prentiss and Reid on going through everything they had on Ferell's old case - but she heard about what they'd found. The fiancee's brother was in the same church group, and with more digging, they'd found out that he had a juvie record. They were sending out a team to contact him right away.

"Garcia, we need everything you can get us on Marcus Manning," Piper said, setting her phone down as she kept working.

"Aye aye, Captain," Garcia responded, sounding better than she had in a few days.

"Good to hear you're back to your peppy self."

"With no help from Derek Morgan," a voice chimed in. "Baby girl, I can't wait to see all of you again."

"Spence and I have got to come up and visit that baby boy of yours," Piper smiled. "Well, he's getting pretty big. I'd hardly call him a baby anymore."

"He's getting big now," Morgan told her as Garcia was searching. "And I'm sure he'd love to see you."

"I've got something. Marcus Manning's juvie record, which you already have, also included a lot of psychological tests, which you do not have. There's something here about him being high on a manipulation scale… he's a follower, not a leader. If Ferell talked to him, he's definitely working with the guy," Garcia reported, emailing Piper the file.

"We've got another one," Prentiss reported, after having stepped out of the room for a moment. "A woman from Ferell's church group was just reported missing."

"Manning would have gone somewhere that has significance… Garcia, what's Floyd Ferell's old address? The last one listed before his arrest?"

"Sending it to all of you now."

Prentiss looked at the rest of them. "Call in the team. Piper, I need you here hunting Ferell down. He's not going to be at his sister's house like he should be. Reid, with me. Let's go." Piper nodded, opening a new tab on her computer to log into the tracking system that Ferell's ankle monitor was connected to. Within a few minutes, she had located where the monitor was, dispatching the local police.

She had a little while to wait before Simmons called, telling her that Marcus Manning had killed himself, right after claiming he had killed all of those women back in 2007. "We legally have to hand over the confession. They'll let Ferell go."

"Not if we can help it," Piper resolved, sitting back down. She had gotten up to pace while she was on the phone. "We'll find something. JJ and Garcia and I will start going through everything now… there's got to be something here in all of these papers. We have to have something."

It had been hours of searching, all of them looking for something in the files to convict Ferell. Rossi had been called in to testify at his hearing when Piper found a detail that they had all been overlooking. "There were five fingers that they found in Manning's stomach during his autopsy, right? But that means we're still missing some. All of the missing women don't have their fingers accounted for… and we searched everywhere in Manning's apartment. That means Ferell's got to have them somewhere."

Reid looked up from the files that he was zipping through. "And I know where they've got to be. We need to get a search warrant before Rossi gets there."

The entire team filed into the courtroom an hour later, while the hearing was happening. Just as the judge announced that Ferell could go, Rossi stood up again, announcing that they had received new evidence and that they had a search warrant to carry out. "You won't find anything," Ferell laughed.

"Oh, it's not a warrant for your sister's place," Piper smiled, crossing her arms. "The search warrant is for you."

"We're requesting an x-ray on Mr. Ferell's stomach," Rossi announced to the court. "We're going to find some missing fingers in there, aren't we?"

"Come on, let's go see Garcia and Morgan," Prentiss resolved, the others following her out of the courtroom as Ferell was handcuffed again. "They can handle this from here."


	80. Underground

"Three women missing in the last five years… this doesn't sound like our kind of thing. Virginia State Police think they're linked?" Alvez asked, looking through the file he had been given.

"They do. A fourth one went missing last night. Allie Leighton, the head chef at a popular restaurant. The Richmond field office didn't find anything," Garcia nodded as the rest of them looked everything over. "No ransom, no bodies, no apparent connection, at least from their social media. I've already looked into it."

"Captain Skinner of the Virginia State Police should be coming in soon. We should know more then. We're going to be running the case out of here," Prentiss added, standing up and giving them their instructions. "Let's split up for now. I'll let you know what we get from Skinner."

The team disassembled, Reid and Piper going to set up a map and track down where the women had been taken from. "Let's assume Richmond's got nothing, since they've been pretty blind from the beginning. Do you see anything?" Piper stepped back from the map, turning to Reid. "They look random."

"Parking garages are commonalities," Reid mused, sitting on a desk to look at the map from further away. He had marked all of the parking garages where women had been taken from, but there was no apparent pattern just yet. "They were all taken from places near where they worked. He could have been watching them for a while. Or he could have seen them leaving and picked them at random. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"We need more information. JJ and Prentiss are talking to Captain Skinner about getting everything the RIchmond office has." She sat down beside him, taking his hand as he thought. "Spence, if they're all still alive, this guy's drugging the hell out of them. He has to keep them subdued somehow."

Reid squeezed her hand, thinking back to the moment of panic when he realized she had been kidnapped so many years ago. "If you don't want to work this one -"

"I'm fine." She hopped off of the desk, adding, "I'm going to see what Garcia's got on Allie Leighton."

"Okay," he nodded. "Good idea." He watched her go, shaking his head. She would be thinking about it all day, about how she had been drugged and forced to almost kill the entire team. Not all of them knew, but most of them remembered. With a sigh, he looked back at the map, wondering if there was a bigger connection that they were missing, and if they could get security footage from anywhere.

"Captain Skinner's thinking this is a bigger pattern than they initially reported," JJ filled them in later. "Another woman followed him in - her sister had disappeared when she was 16, and she thinks her sister Johanna has something to do with it. Chrissy Miller, our first victim, went missing around the same time."

Piper had bad news too. "Garcia narrowed the search down, but we've still got up to two dozen missing women that could be potential victims. Johanna could have helped him gain the confidence to build up to the other victims. They were all riskier targets for him - an OBGYN, a teacher, a chef, they're all much harder to get at than a runaway 16 year old girl."

"Wait a seconds," Tara said, all of them looking to her. "We've got a teenage runaway, a doctor, a teacher, a chef… if she was pregnant and he wanted to keep them all long-term, this is the perfect way to do it."

Alvez nodded, thinking out loud. "And if he has more young pregnant women…"

"We could have an entire compound being held somewhere," Rossi reasoned. "This could be a cult. He has to control them somehow - what if it's all conditioning?"

"Conditioning from years of deprivation from the world," Prentiss agreed. "All of the women serve a purpose, and they've been kidnapped to help keep each other alive."

"I think -" Simmons' idea was interrupted by Garcia running in, handing Prentiss a piece of paper.

"Hey, sorry. But Dr. Childs, one of the earlier missing women, they just found her body. Coroner thinks it's a suicide." She looked around the team, observing their reactions. "It was in a public park. I've already run the location through all of our databases, and there haven't been any significant crimes there in years. A couple of old ladies getting their purses snatched by local kids, a bit of vandalism, nothing major." Garcia said goodbye, heading back down to her office to dig up anything else that she could.

"Well, I'm going to need some of you at the park, some of you with the M.E., and the rest of you here to keep building a profile," Prentiss instructed. "Reid, Alvez, take the park. Simmons, Tara, the M.E., and the rest of us here. Piper, keep working on the geographic profile. Add in the park, see if you can get anything out of it. I have a bad feeling someone's going to go missing soon. They lost one doctor. They're going to need another one." She stopped, her phone ringing. "Prentiss." She listened for a bit before hanging up and adding, "Paige Burrell, a pediatrician. But this time, there's a video. Let's split. Everyone who's staying here, head down by Garcia. She'll have the video."

Piper spent her time correlating old disappearances with the area the four confirmed women had gone missing. While everyone else was going through records or compiling information, Piper was stringing together the map and trying to find some sort of connection. It was only when JJ appeared behind her that Piper stopped, turning to see what was up. "Hey. Look at this. Are you seeing anything that I'm not?"

"Yeah," JJ told her. "11:57:30. He waited until that exact time to kidnap Dr. Burrell. We also know there are at least two of them involved. He can't drive the getaway vehicle if he's chloroforming those women at the same time."

"11:57:30," Piper repeated. "All of the others have been taken around midnight. Do we have exact times for them too?"  
"Garcia's pulling some phone records, but we just might."

Half an hour later, the team was assembled around a timeline of when all of the women had gone missing, looking at a distinctive countdown pattern, approaching 12 o'clock. "What's he counting down to?" Tara asked, stepping back to take it all in.

"Minutes to midnight," Reid realized, explaining that, "It's the Doomsday Clock. It represents the potential for a global nuclear catastrophe. It's been moving up pretty steadily for years, ever since the atomic bomb was first dropped."

"So if he's counting down to midnight, it's a doomsday cult he's running," Rossi said. "We should be looking at Virginia men who are preparing for the apocalypse."

"Already on it," Garcia reported, having called in from her office. "I'm running Virginia men against apocalypse preppers and survivalists. Let's also filter online shopping histories for chloroform. There are still a lot."

"Run the Doomsday Clock," Reid added, leaning in to talk on the phone. "Look for discussion boards or concerns with nuclear war."

"We're down to six. Ooh, I've got one with a girlfriend with a white van matching the one in the video, and she's got lots of land outside of Richmond. If there's a building he's keeping all these women in, it's there. I'll send you the address. Lawrence and Irene, they could be a normal couple if they weren't probably cult leaders."

"Reid, JJ, go check out the site. Alvez, Piper, I want you ready to follow them. There's another house on the way, and I want you two to hit it before you catch up with them. The rest of us will be following in a third vehicle. I've got to get a medical team and a psych crisis team ready. Piper, I know I don't have to say it, but you and Tara are on psych triage. Let's go."

Piper and Alvez were on the road, headed towards the massive property that Lawrence Coleman's girlfriend owned, having found nothing at their house. Garcia had called in, telling them there had to be a bunker or something, since she wasn't seeing anything appear on the satellite images, and a nuclear bunker had been built nearby. "Coleman's got a weapons cache down there," Alvez said, hopping out of the car and checking his vest. "Let's hope JJ and Reid haven't found the bunker yet."

"There's no one out in this field," Piper frowned, taking her gun out as they walked. "Alvie, this could turn into another Waco. Or they could be trapped in that bunker with them."

"We're going to get them out," Alveza promised, waving to the SUV that had just arrived and was parking behind their car. "Even though I'm pretty sure they just walked right into the hornet nest."

The rest of the team caught up with them, Prentiss filling them in on everything they had missed. "Let's canvass the area and figure out where this hatch is. There's got to be something that sticks out, like a rock or -" She stopped, looking to where a hatch had just opened up and JJ was climbing out of the ground.

Rushing over to meet her, the team started taking action. Lawrence and Irene were immediately arrested, and half of the team climbed down and helped to women and their children gather their things and move out, seeing the outside world for the first time in years. Piper and Tara checked in with the women and their kids as they were split up into different cars and brought to the Richmond field office, where they would be interviewed and set up with counseling services.

"Hey." Piper looked up from where she had been going over her notes. She and Tara had been sitting in the shade of some trees, and Tara was finishing up with their last interview a few feet away. Reid grabbed an empty chair and pulled it over, giving her a hug and winding his arm around her. "How's it going?"

Closing her notebook, Piper told him, "A lot of them are starting to believe that the world is okay, that Lawrence and Irene were the ones who are wrong. Being outside and seeing the trees and the grass is helping them. The kids, though… they've got a lot to process. They've never been outside in their lives. They're going to need a whole lot of support."

"And how are you?"

"Fine," Piper sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder as she glanced at Tara, who was shaking the last interviewee's hand and guiding her over to a waiting police officer. "I just can't imagine what they went through. Being drugged and held captive for a little while is something, but… some of these women are so conditioned… and their kids have spent years underground. They grew up being told they were the last people on Earth. And all of these women, they were told the world was ending, that this was their last day and they had to go with him… I wouldn't want to spend my last day on Earth in a bunker."

"Where would you want to spend it?" Reid asked, kissing her forehead as they watched Tara head back to the others after she had collected her notes.

"With you." She didn't hesitate. "We'd spend a lazy day with each other and meet up with our friends for brunch or dinner or something, and we would all be sitting there, drinking old wine and telling stories as we rung in the apocalypse."


	81. A Surprise Guest

_That needle. It was there again, that needle. Being brought closer and closer to his arm, the fine glass pressing into the same spot in the crook of his arm that it had been piercing for days. The release of a cool liquid flowing into his veins as he looked up at Henkel's face, twisted into a grin._ "No. No, please, don't, I don't want… I don't want it, please, I don't, please -"

"Spence." Piper shook him awake, Reid bolting upright in bed. "Spence, it's okay, you're dreaming. It's okay. It's not real."

Reid rubbed his eyes, looking over to her in the soft glow of the strand of lights that they still always kept up. _Yes. She's real. She's real, and she's right here. Just listen to her. Deep breath and listen to her. You'll be fine._ He glanced down at his left arm, where the scars from the needle marks had long since healed. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be. It's that dream again, isn't it?" She wound her arm around him, Reid leaning his head on her shoulder.

"Yeah. It doesn't happen a lot anymore, but…"

"You're giving your first lecture tomorrow. It's only natural that you're worried, and your brain reverted to something it has experience with to worry about," Piper explained as he settled in next to her. "It makes sense. But it's going to be fine, Spence. You've given plenty of talks all over the country."

He shook his head, saying, "Not about this. This time, I'm talking about him."

Piper pursed her lips a bit, but ultimately resigned herself to asking, "You're sure that's a good idea for an introductory lecture?"

"You always introduce yourself to your students, don't you? If I can present them with a case while I tell them who I am, that's even better," he explained. "Make them think, right? Besides, you know I'm not the best at connecting with audiences."

"Or people," Piper smiled, giving him a kiss. "But it takes a special kind of person to understand Spencer Reid."

"Don't flatter yourself," he laughed.

"Come on, you know I'm not wrong," she goaded. "You're not the average people-person, and it takes more than an average mind to keep up with you. You're right in trying to connect with your students, but if this is what it's doing to you, that bit of respect you're building and that bit of relatability… you could build it other ways if this is what it's doing to you."

Reid shook his head. "I'll be fine. As long as I can come home to you tomorrow, I'll be fine."

"As long as you're sure," Piper frowned. He already looked exhausted, from way too many late nights spent preparing lessons or on planes or on cases. It would be nice to have him home for a bit, even if she could be called away on a case at any minute. At least he could sleep properly while he was at home. Or regular hours, for that matter. And he could eat something that wasn't from a fast food place.

"Mhmm," Reid nodded, settling back into the pillows. "I'm going to try to get some more sleep. I've got to be a bit early to set up."

"Okay." Piper gave him a kiss, laying down with him. "But I'm not going to let go of you."

"Please don't. Not ever," he mumbled, already growing sleepy again. Piper smiled, closing her eyes and only waking up when their alarm went off. Reid jumped up out of bed, turning it off immediately so Piper could go back to sleep. She heard the shower turn on a few minutes later, and rolled over in bed, vaguely hearing her husband going about his morning routine. It was only when he jogged back upstairs to grab his glasses that she realized he was about to leave.

"Spence, wait." Piper got up, yawning before putting her arms around him. "Have fun. Good luck. I love you, babe."

He smiled, giving her a kiss. "I love you too. Now go back to bed. You've still got another hour or so."

"I know, but I wanted to tell you good luck," she grinned sheepishly. "I wish you could come back with me."

"Me too. But I've got to go."

"Okay," she sighed. "Bye, Spence. I'll see you for dinner." Piper watched as he went downstairs, locking the front door behind him. Chester had gotten up to see what was going on, but returned to his position sleeping next to the fireplace as Reid's taillights disappeared down the road. She dropped back into bed, thinking about how Diana would be out all afternoon at one of her art courses, and she'd be getting work done from home. She'd barely planned anything out when she fell back to sleep.

A little while after she'd had lunch, Piper was sitting in her office, typing up a report when there was a knock on the door. Odd. They weren't expecting anyone. Maybe it was a delivery. But they hadn't ordered anything. She looked out to see a well-dressed older man, one she hadn't seen or heard from in many years now. With a sigh, Piper opened the door, greeting him rather coldly. "Hello."

"Hi. I know you two don't really want to see me, but I was in town for a conference and thought I could at least try to check up on you," he offered as Piper leaned on the doorframe. "I really should have called when the kids -"

"One phone call from their absent grandfather wouldn't have changed a thing. You weren't at the funeral. You didn't visit when they came into our lives. Hell, were you even at our wedding? I don't remember seeing you there. C'mon, come sit inside. I'll get you a cup of coffee, but you're not staying for long. You're leaving before anyone else gets home, Mr. Reid."

"William, please," he said, following her inside and looking around. "It's a nice place you've got here. I know you moved a while ago now."

"Yes. Thank you." She put on a pot of coffee before turning back to him and asking, "Why are you really here? What do you want to find out about? I'm sure it's not about the kids, since you didn't bother to even pick up the phone and call us. And I'm sure you're not here to catch up with me. Maybe it's finally about your own kid for once."

He sat down at their kitchen table, hanging his head a bit. "I'm sorry. I really should have been there for you two through all of that. I know Diana helped, and I should have been there too, but I didn't know what to say. What do you tell a parent who's lost their kids that young?"

"The same thing you told Riley Jenkins' father back in the 80s," Piper frowned, getting coffee mugs out of a cabinet. "Before you helped cover up-"

"I'm sorry," William interrupted as Piper set a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. She took a set across the table from him, waiting. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do to make it up to you. There's nothing I can do to go back and change… to go back and be more involved in Spencer's life, and with the kids, and stop what happened. There's nothing I can do but promise to be here for you from now on."

Piper pursed her lips, giving him a skeptical look. "Why? What made you do this, really?"

He sighed, admitting, "I'm working a case that reminded me of what happened back then, and it made me realize how walking out… how walking out changed their lives. How it made Spencer grow up much faster than he would have if I'd let him have a childhood. How I should have been there to congratulate him when you two got engaged, how I should have been involved with the kids. How I regret so much."

Nodding, Piper took a second to take it all in. He looked and sounded sincere, even down to his microexpressions. "I see," she said coldly, taking a sip of her drink. "I've had a lot of cases that affected me, but none that made me come back to people I had abandoned years ago."

"Pipes, I brought the mail in," Reid called, both of them turning to look as he walked in the door. He was incredibly early, Piper only now realizing that he was lecturing, but not teaching all afternoon long. Of course, he would want to plan lectures at home. Shit.

Piper jumped up, grabbing his arm before he got into the kitchen. "Spence, there's someone here you might not want to -" She was cut off by Reid looking over her shoulder, his father standing behind her. "He just showed up, Spence. I'm sorry."

He nodded, going to pour himself a cup of coffee and settling down at the table as they returned to their spots. Reid's father explained why he was there, Piper taking her husband's hand under the table. Reid nodded, saying a few words and letting Piper do most of the talking. "I promise that I'll be here for you, and that I'll be here for your family if you need me. For Diana, for you two, for your kids if you have any more -"

"We're not… we're not planning on having any more kids," Piper told him flatly, glancing to Reid, who nodded in support. "We've been talking, and we're not going to try for any more, for a lot of reasons. We're just not."

William nodded, taking a drink. "I understand if you want to avoid all of those memories coming back, but it might help -"

"No," Reid cut him off, "we're not. It's not just that. It's that, and flying out for work all the time, and me, and -"

"You?" His dad leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "What about you?"

"Spence, you don't have to -"

"It's okay." He squeezed her hand, looking across the table. "Dad, we've never talked about this, but I'm not… I'm not like you. I'm not… I don't see people like most people do." William raised an eyebrow, his son continuing, "I don't like… I'm not attracted to people like everyone else is. I don't look at people and want to sleep with them and -"

"Oh please." Piper watched Reid tense up as his dad spoke. "You clearly haven't found the right woman then."

"Easy for you to say," Reid shot back. "I love her. I don't know what I would do without her. But I just don't see anyone that way. It makes it harder, having kids… the natural way. I love her, and it takes a bit, but I can, but -"

"Spence, you don't have to explain it to him," Piper interrupted, seeing how red his face was becoming. She turned to talk to his father, letting Reid take a sip of his drink. "Millions of people are like that. They can fall in love and live normal lives, but the attraction just isn't there. It's completely normal - think Nikola Tesla. He was a brilliant scientist, but he never had any sort of relationship. Never attracted to anyone. He's commented on it. And Sherlock Holmes - never mentioned any attraction to anyone, nothing at all. It's perfectly fine. Now I can read you, you're wondering if we've ever… well, we have, and that makes no difference. Spence is still not attracted to anyone. And no, it doesn't bother me. I love him, no matter what. And if you insist on continuing to doubt him or disrespect who he is, or our marriage, I'm going to have to ask you to kindly get out of our house."

William sighed, taking another drink and leaving them all in a long silence. Finally, he turned to his son, saying, "I'll never understand it, kid, but I'm glad you're with someone who makes you happy. Maybe you're better off without me intruding in your life." He stood, heading for the door. "Thank you for the coffee, Piper."

After he had left, Piper turned to Reid, who rubbed his eyes and admitted, "I never thought we would have that talk. Or that it would go that way. He was never around to have it, and the few times we did meet again, well, it was never the time for it. It was always about Mom, or a case, or something like that. You know, over 50% of people who tell their parents things like that are rejected to some extent, even now. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like back when I was a kid."

"Spence, I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. I'm sorry… babe, I just want you to be happy. I love you for who you are, and that's what matters. I don't care if... if it's only once a month or every few months or whatever, as long as you're happy and you feel good about it. I love you, Spencer Reid." She moved to wrap her arms around him, continuing, "I always will, no matter what."

"I love you too, Pipes. I love you too."


	82. Call-In Cases

"Hey, Spence, how'd it go?" Piper had been sitting up, waiting for Reid to get back from his first evening lecture.

"Pretty well, I think," he answered, dropping his bag on a chair and giving her a kiss. "Rossi on TV yet?"

"His interview should be coming up any minute. They said he's next in line, but I've been watching commercials for ages." She looked over to watch him shedding his jacket and hanging it up near the door. "You look exhausted."

Reid nodded, coming back to the living room to sit down next to her. "I could sleep for three days. Well, i've been up late working on cases and preparing for lectures, so…" He shrugged, turning back to the TV as Rossi came onscreen.

They watched as Rossi talked about his new book, which he'd written about Tommy Yates, the man who would feed him a name and a location every year on his birthday. They'd caught him years ago, and he only gave up one name a year, no matter how much they tried interviewing him and using different tactics. Halfway through the interview, the reporter cut off, saying that they had breaking news - three women had been killed in robbery-murders in Miami. "It's serial," Piper sighed. "That's us, if Prentiss gets it."

As Rossi told the reporter that he would like to wait for more information from the Miami Police Department before he made a comment, Piper's phone began to ring. She got up, going to talk to Prentiss in the hallway for a bit. When she returned, Reid had turned on the news and was watching the coverage from Miami. "Wheels up in 30?"

"Actually, no." Piper sat down next to him again. "Prentiss wants you to stay here, since you've got lectures for the rest of the week. And I'm up here helping Garcia out. Besides, I've got a stack of cases that I've got to process. I swear it's almost as tall as my computer."

"What happened?"

"She says they're calling it a string of robbery-homicides, even though only the first victim was robbed. It sounds like he's trying to throw the police off, but ballistics all match the same .44, all with one shot to the heart. And it looks like he's got a definite type," she filled him in as they watched the news coverage unfold. "We'll handle things from here with Garcia. But this is definitely serial, and it's definitely going to be big if the media's already hounding us."

"Garcia's sending over all of the information?"

"Yeah. I'm going to grab my laptop and see what's already been emailed. We can share, since I know yours is almost dead after that presentation. Want to grab some coffee? It's going to be a long night." Piper got up, heading to plug his laptop in and thinking about what she would have to grab upstairs.

Reid stood, taking a painting down from one of the walls and going to turn on the coffee maker and find a map to tape up. Their makeshift evidence wall would have to do for now. When Piper returned, Reid had two cups of coffee ready and was working quickly, putting pins in the map from the file Garcia had emailed them. Piper set her laptop up so they could look through the files on there instead of on their phones, taking a sip of her coffee and stepping back to look at the map. "He's got a definite hunting ground," Reid acknowledged, "and a type. I'd say he had a woman involved in his life that he's building up to killing."

"For sure." Piper sat down on an arm of the sofa, scrolling through the files. "It says here they were all alone in their cars. There were a few in secluded areas, and the latest one was closer to the public than ever. He's building up on a pretty steady progression." Nodding, Reid was speed-reading over her shoulder, taking everything in at once. He would stop to let her catch up, even though she could read pretty quickly herself. He was never bothered by the time delay, since it gave him time to think. Piper looked up at him, saying, "He's sounding a lot like a spree killer. I mean, this has all happened in the last few days. There's no real cooling-off period."

Reid sat down beside her, adding, "The time between when they were found and when they were killed is getting shorter and shorter. He wants to watch it until the last moment… What if he's staying there to watch the discovery? He's got to be someone who can blend in and seem like he just got there... first responder?"

"If we're looking at a member of the police…" Piper shook her head, trailing off. "We've got much bigger problems than we thought."

"It has to be. I'll let them know." Reid went upstairs to the office to call the team. When he returned, he had news. "Simmons found specific hair clips on all of the victims. Garcia's sending us over some pictures, but they've already been leaked to the media somehow. Only the police have them, so it's got to be a first responder."

"Yeah, I just got them," Piper confirmed, scrolling through the pictures. "He must have put them there after he killed them. But they look old, like something that was popular a few decades ago. Maybe these women symbolize a mother figure? Or a teacher? Someone he was close to that wronged him in the past, or someone who died in front of him."

"Prentiss is thinking the same thing. They're looking into law enforcement, and Garcia's going through all of their records. There's not much that we can do now."

Piper stretched, closing her laptop. "Then it's time for bed. We'll just keep our phones next to us like always. We can't be of too much use now." She stood, grabbing their coffee mugs and heading for the kitchen. "Can you plug that in for me, babe? I'm going to start the dishwasher, and then I'll be right up."

"Sure. I'm going to take Chester out too." Reid disappeared to get the dog as Piper started putting things in the dishwasher, ruminating on the facts of the case. If it really was a first responder, they would have to be extremely careful about who they talked to, what information they trusted people with, and who was working on the case.

Piper had been sitting in bed for a few minutes reading when Reid came back. "Well we can at least rule out FBI and DEA. Garcia texted and said they all check out. No other special agents in the area. It's got to be police or paramedics. But we've got our best people on the case."

"That we do." Reid disappeared into the bathroom to brush his teeth, coming back to stand in the doorway and speak through a mouth full of toothpaste. "There's something that's bothering me about this. How is the press getting all of this? Unless it's one of them. He could be a reporter."

Setting down her book, Piper nodded. She put her glasses back on to look over at him. "You're right. If he's in the press, he could blend right in, say he got the police scanners or something. It used to be so simple, before everyone had access to them. But he could show up as part of the crowd and have the perfect excuse to blend in. It even explains the camera. I'll text everyone else and let them know." She sent a quick text, putting her phone back down as Reid got into bed. "Let's hope nothing else happens until the morning."

"Agreed." He set his glasses down, rolling over in bed as Piper put her book away. She curled up next to him, happy that they could both be home together for once. It wasn't too rare, what with him teaching now, but every few days, Reid would have to leave. Or she would have to leave. Or they would end up in a hotel together, across the country from their normal bed, their strings of lights, their creature comforts that made up home.

They got their wish, but woke up to a message from the others that another woman had been killed in her car, but she was in her own garage. The killer had brought his own neon this time, Prentiss reported. They would be going through hours of footage to see if they caught anything, and needed a much help as they could get. Piper and Reid would spend the next few hours combing through footage, finally stumbling on a video that was time-stamped before the police had reported arriving. Piper called Garcia, who set the team on the hunt for a Channel 3 reporter named Kal Montgomery, whose footage was involved with every murder that had been committed by who the media had dubbed the "Neon Terror".

They heard little for the rest of the afternoon, until Piper looked up from her laptop, announcing, "Spence, the window of time between the killings and the start of the filming are getting closer and closer. They're going to keep converging until he makes a snuff film, aren't they?"

Reid nodded, texting the idea to the rest of the team. "That's what they think. There's a film they just got ahold of - he left a survivor. There was a kid in the car this time. They do have geography this time, though. They're narrowing down his comfort zone now."

"Our unsub must have gone through something like this as a kid, if he kept the kid alive," Piper suggested, looking up from her laptop. She called the team, telling JJ to "look into people who fit the description of the killer with a personal tragedy like that. Anyone who saw their mother or sister or babysitter killed in front of them. That's who we're looking for."

It was late that night when Rossi called, saying that it was all over. The reporter had nothing to do with it - a man whose cousin had been babysitting him as a kid was killed in the car, and he had watched it happen. Channel 3 had gotten his exclusive interview a few years later, and thus had been the subject of all of his attention when he was sending the tapes in to the media. He'd been caught trying to make a snuff film of himself killing the investigative reporter who had first interviewed him. Piper reported the news as Reid was in the kitchen grabbing a snack. "They got him. Garcia took down his livestream so he couldn't broadcast the murder, and JJ and Rossi talked him down. He's in the local jail now, being processed."

"That's great," Reid said, sitting down beside her as his mother poked her head in the room, asking if they wanted tea.

"Sure, Mom. Thanks," Piper smiled, accepting a cup from her. "We just solved another case."

"That's nice, dear." His mother disappeared back into her room, where she had been working on a painting. She'd taken up painting a few months before, and had gotten pretty good. Her pieces now decorated the house, and many of them had found their way to other people's houses.

"It's always 'another case'..." Piper sighed, closing her laptop and looking over to Reid. "I've got a massive pile of cases to go through tomorrow, and it'll be even more after that. It's incredible that there aren't more of us working on things like this. Every time I pass a case on to the rest of the team, every time I pass over a case, I wonder if I made the right decision. A lot of the time, I know I did, but I can only hope that I haven't passed over any that really needed our help."

Reid squeezed her hand, saying, "I'm sure you make the right decision. I'm sure the local police are a lot smarter than you give them credit for too, though. There are a ton of cases that they can take care of, but we help them connect the dots. Besides, if we tried to take on all of them -"

"We'd go crazy and never sleep, I know," Piper sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But still, sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing."


	83. Inspired by Real Events

Buried in paperwork, Piper hardly noticed that Reid had sat down in her office. It was only when he cleared his throat that she looked up, nodding to him. "What's up, Spence?"

"You know, you were doing the same thing when I first figured out how in love with you I am," he mused, watching Piper put her glasses back on. "You were sitting at your desk with photographs of a murder stacked up around you, trying to figure out if we should take a case or not. JJ had been training you. You looked like you were going to go crazy, what with the amount of times you'd gotten coffee and the amount of times you'd snapped at me. But I understood - it was a case with a bunch of kids involved, and you didn't want to see any more of them get killed. I'd brought you more coffee and you kept me sitting here until it got cold."

"Sorry, Spence," she smiled. "What do you think about a Jack the Ripper copycat in a town called London in Ohio? Think that's more pressing than a series of mysterious maulings in Maine that look like a bear but are clearly human, at least to a trained eye?"

"I'd go with Maine. Jack the Ripper already established his pattern. The locals can wait until he deviates from it or keeps making the same moves," Reid told her. "But for now, Garcia's got a case for us. The Maryland State Police called it in earlier. They've had four shootings in the last two weeks, all in the same area. They're thinking it's serial."

"Well, let's go, then," Piper said, closing her file and following Reid out of the office. They sat down with the others in the conference room, waiting as Garcia turned the projector on and pulled up some pictures.

"Winnie McMillan, the last of four seemingly random murders based around the same area in Maryland. Three other people have been killed in the same way, with the same gun, it looks like, over the last two weeks. They've got a vague description from someone who saw a man running down the street away from the last one, but not much else to go on," Garcia explained as she put up pictures of the victims.

"It says here the first two and the last one were found right off of local bus routes. We should be looking at people involved in transportation," Prentiss proposed. "Is there a bus that visits all of those stops?"

"No," JJ sighed. "Garcia's already looked into it. There's a note here, see?"

"Tara's off on an interview, so we're going to be headed there without her. Wheels on the ground in 30. We'll be running this case out of here," Prentiss instructed. "Rossi, Simmons, I'll need you to go down and visit the medical examiner. Alvez, Piper, check out the latest scene. They should just be finishing up when you get there. Reid, JJ, I'm going to need a geographic profile. He's got a distinctive hunting ground, or so it seems. We've got to be sure where he's going to be hunting next."

The team split up, Reid and JJ heading for the Maryland State Police's office to set up, Simmons and Rossi heading to the morgue, and Piper taking Alvez out to the scene. It was getting late in the day when they got there. Prentiss had been right - the crime scene techs had been cleaning up their markers, and the body had long been taken away. The crime scene cleanup crew was waiting to start their work, but luckily, Piper and Alvez arrived before they could start cleaning.

"She was attacked right here, after getting off of the 306 and waiting for her husband to pick her up. He usually comes by around 9 PM in his pickup truck to get her," a young police detective told them, shaking their hands. She guided them towards where the body had fallen, pointing out some of the key characteristics of the murder. "It looks like he ambushed her here, shot her in the back, and waited just long enough to make sure that one shot did it. He's been shooting some of them two, three times if they don't die fast enough."

"He's getting close enough to them to shoot execution style," Alvez said. "But he's not. This is something personal. He's a hunter. Have you found any connection between the victims?"

"Nothing so far. Your people are looking into it too," the detective told him, "but we don't have anything concrete to link them. So far, they're all looking like victims of opportunity."

"We should see if they've got anything from the victims or the geographic profile. They're definitely in the same area, and even though victimology is all over the place, we might be able to get something out of it. Geo profiling has got to be able to give us something," Piper proposed, stepping back to let the crime scene team move past. "He seems to be extremely limited in the area that he's covering, so it has to tell us about him."

Reid had gotten pretty far with his geographic profile, having put up a map and started whittling down the area where their unsub could be working or living. When Piper and Alvez came in, he called them over, explaining, "He's staying strictly within a set of boundaries, just in this neighborhood. Someone this ritualistic would be regimented, working in the area or living here, and getting off of work or school around the same time every day. All of the murders have happened after around 8:30 at night. He probably gets off of work around then, and goes hunting."

"A high-stress job could key him up during the day, making him more likely to kill at night. We should consider police, firefighters, hospital employees, hell, even the wrong person in a busy restaurant," Alvez proposed, sitting down on a desk. "I would say a CEO, but the neighborhood isn't that kind of area."

Piper agreed, walking over to the map. "There are a couple of fast-food places in your rectangle here, and a hospital. No police or fire stations, though. Let's start there. Employees who stick out as dangerous or just a little bit off."

A police sergeant jogged over with some news. "A man just walked into a restaurant and gave an employee a paper bag with a gun in it. They have him on camera. He ran off, but we've got the gun. Ballistics is running it against the shell casings found at the scene now." He left as quickly as he had appeared.

While Simmons, Rossi, Reid, and Alvez were talking victimology and geographic profiling, Piper called Garcia, asking her to pull up and refine the footage from the fast food restaurant where their unsub had dropped off his gun. "Looks like I can get a decent photo out of it. Running it through facial recognition software as we speak," Garcia told her, typing away and refining the photo even more.

"That's great," Piper nodded, glancing over at the others, who were still debating about the area that Reid had boxed in on the map. "Even if we can't get a name, we can plaster his face all over the news and the -"

Garcia cut her off with an answer, thanks to all of the software Quantico could provide and the programs that she had written to speed up the facial recognition process. "Damien Seymour, 23. Sending you his home and work addresses now."

"You make it seem so easy," Piper laughed, heading over to tell the others. She put Garcia on speaker, letting her talk to the group and explain everything.

As soon as Garcia hung up, Rossi looked over the group. "You know what to do. We'll split in half and bring him in. There's still a few hours before his usual kill time, so we have a leg up on him."

Piper drove Simmons and Alvez to a fast food restaurant, the three of them hopping out of the car and putting their vests on. "What I'm thinking is we go in and pretend to order, just like any other customers. When we get to the register, we ask about him, if we don't see him in there. We'll ask to speak to him in the back, and make the arrest away from the rest of the customers. We pull this off without everyone noticing a thing."

They all donned their vests, checking their guns and heading in. While they waited in line, Alvez went to sit down at a table, getting a different angled view of the back kitchen. He looked to the others, nodding. Seymour was in sight. Piper joined him at the table, whispering a few words before heading over to the cashier. "We'd like to speak with Mr. Seymour," she told the cashier blankly, the woman nodding. "You're going to tell him to go into the walk-in freezer for something - you need more lemons, or something. Send him back there, and we are going to follow him. He's our number one person of interest in the series of murders that's been going on. Just take a deep breath and keep calm. Now hand me a drink cup so this doesn't catch his attention."

The cashier handed over a cup, trying to keep a neutral expression. Piper slowly made her way to the drink machine as the cashier went to talk to Seymour. She gestured for Alvez and Simmons, who followed her to the freezer as soon as she saw Seymour head that way. The second the walk-in freezer's door closed, Simmons led them in, drawing his gun and announcing, "FBI. Put your hands up."

Damien Seymour was an unassuming looking kid, tired from a day of work, but still holding something hard behind his flint-colored eyes. Piper recognized it immediately - the hatred and anger that had been festering in him since high school, the want to lash out at someone, anyone, in order to dull it for a while. She could also recognize that he wouldn't want to be embarrassed any more. He had had enough of that, which was probably a factor that led him to kill. "Come on," she motioned. "Put your hands behind your back, and we won't have to use these. We can take you out the back door, and no one will see you getting arrested."

Slowly, he put his hands behind his back, turning around for Piper to handcuff him. He was silent as they waited behind the restaurant, Alvez going to get their SUV and drive to the back to haul him off to the closest jail for processing. He didn't say much the entire trip there, knowing that the evidence against him was damning.

Simmons had called the rest of the team on the way there, letting them know that they had taken him in without incident. Everyone would just meet up at Quantico later, so they could go over the case and debrief after they brought him in.

A few hours later, Piper, Simmons, and Alvez walked into the briefing room, raising their hands in triumph. "We've got him. According to the school, he had a history of being pushed around, and then had to deal with an even worse manager at that place. He'd gotten fed up and lashed out at random people," Piper told them as she dropped into her chair.

"Nicely done," Prentiss told them, walking into the room with a fax from the state police. "He's going through processing now, and he's admitted everything. Ballistics says the gun matched the shell casings from the murders too. We've got our guy."

Piper had just settled into bed when Reid came in, getting ready to go to sleep. As he stood brushing his teeth, Piper looked up from her book. "You have to teach for the next week or so, right?"

"Yeah," he answered through a mouth full of toothpaste.

"Okay. Let's hope I don't have to fly out anywhere." She set her book aside, watching him. "You know, Spence, I'm glad you turned out the way you did. You've been through quite a lot - more than anyone should have to. And you're still wonderful. You made something normal out of your incredibly not normal childhood, and you've come out of everything after that."

"I guess I should say thank you," he shrugged, taking his contacts out. "But then again, you've been through a whole lot too."

As he got into bed, Piper put an arm over her husband, saying, "I'm just glad we didn't go down the wrong path like that poor boy did. He was so young."


	84. And That's the End

"Conspiracy theory killer in Roswell? What are the odds of that?" Piper sat back, leaning her chair against her bookshelves. Garcia had sent them the file, even though Piper had been pulled over by Violent Crimes to consult on a case, and Reid had been teaching at the Academy when they got the call.

Reid shook his head, leaning against the wall and thinking out loud. "I doubt it's actually based in any of their theories."

"I doubt it too, but it's funny," Piper admitted, getting up and liocking her office, Reid following her down the hall. "Where are we going for lunch?"

"The usual burger place?"

"Sounds perfect," Piper said, rounding the corner to find Garcia on her way to get more coffee. She set her phone back in her bag, asking, "Penelope, do you want to come to lunch with us? They've got great veggie burgers at this place."

"I'm sold. Let's go," Garcia smiled, setting her coffee cup down. "I've just got to run and get my purse. Back in a jiffy." Piper and Reid watched her dash downstairs, coming back with her bag in record time. "I'm starving. Ready?"

While they sat and ate, they reviewed the case, marvelling at how people who had been so involved in conspiracy theories had suddenly died just as their favorite theories dictated - a man obsessed with finding out the truth about the Kennedy assassination had been shot, things like that. A man had shot himself in the room where they had gathered all of the conspiracy theory group that had been linked to the deaths, and now a woman from the group they had brought in for questioning had been recording everything. Lots of things had been going wrong with the investigation, but they were all amusing.

Reid had bet on the woman who inserted herself into the investigation all along, which Garcia backed up. On the other hand, Piper thought there was something else, someone quiet in the ring of conspiracy theorists. It turned out a day later that Reid had been right, but no one had expected otherwise. It was a puzzling and peculiar case, but that was their specialty, and they never wanted anything otherwise.

The BAU would always have cases like this, the strangest things that the rest of the FBI couldn't figure out. Some of them would brand themselves as taking on the FBI's most unwanted cases, while others would say that they got the special cases, the cases that just seemed too impossible. But they would always be a team, and they would always be a family, no matter how far they went from each other and from Quantico.

Tara Lewis eventually left to go into private practice, working forensic psychology cases in New York. She wrote a book that rivalled Piper's, the two of them collaborating on a second and winning a couple of awards, even though they could never beat Rossi for the number of titles or the prestige. She and Piper would consult on each other's cases all of the time, and they never lost touch, even when Tara had moved across the country.

Matt Simmons stayed with the BAU for years before eventually going back to the International Response Team. They had borrowed him a few times, and he eventually shifted his work their way before being recruited full-time. In the end, he wound up working with the CIA, on Prentiss' recommendation. He helped to bring behavioral analysis to the CIA, strengthening their version of the BAU. But when he finally retired, he bought a motorcycle and spent his time staying fit by training with his youngest son, who was going into the police academy. No matter how far away he went, or how many cases took him across the world, he always came back to visit his friends at the BAU.

Rossi retired just a few years later, for the second time. He would always be willing to consult for the team or for anyone else who needed him, even when he was busy writing one of his books. He had been a prolific writer before his second retirement, but even more so when he was out of the FBI for good. There would always be dinners at Rossi's house, whether it be when someone got a promotion, when they had cracked a rather difficult case, or when so many lives were saved that it merited a big celebration. And, of course, whenever Rossi felt like cooking for all of them, which was quite often. He would always be there to support the team, through serial killers and bombers and strange murder plots that took weeks to figure out. No matter what, Rossi was there for them to eat with, for a consult, or for friendly advice.

JJ and Will stayed in the DC area, raising their family. Will was on the Metropolitan Police Force for years, handling his share of tough cases, some of which he referred on to the BAU. He worked in violent crimes for a while, eventually moving to a desk job before he retired. JJ stayed with the BAU for the rest of her career, eventually taking over Prentiss' position and leading the team. They never had any more children, since they were so busy, but raised their kids to be just as "amazingly fantastic" as they were, according to Garcia.

Alvez eventually moved to head up the Fugitive Task Force, bringing his BAU knowledge to the team. He hunted down a record number of people who had been deemed impossible to find, and was praised by the FBI for his dedication and bravery. He and Roxy had plenty of adventures around the country and around the world together, but when the dog got older, Piper and Reid would watch him as Alvez went off on another manhunt. They were there through a marriage, a child, and a divorce, and were the first people to offer a toast at his retirement party. He ended up moving to Richmond, but would come to visit often, bringing his daughter to see her Aunt Piper and Uncle Spencer. Even though she had been named after her mother, the rest of the BAU smiled to themselves when the birth announcements were sent around - her middle name was Roxy.

Prentiss remained BAU chief for a long time, watching as new agents came in and old agents left, either for other departments, other units, or for different jobs entirely. She stayed with the BAU for years, but eventually moved up in the FBI until she became assistant director. Following ber being promoted and moved to a desk job, where she had more stable hours and being able to stay in Virginia, she met and married a wonderful woman working on the Virginia Police Force. They never had any children, but they were the perfect pair of aunts to all of the BAU children.

Garcia loved her job, practically living in the basement for years. Even though people came in and out of the BAU, it was Garcia who really linked them together, bringing them back for reunions and meetups, whether they were all in the area or around the world. It was her idea to video call them all in when they had dinner at Rossi's, cooking together across different time zones and continents and having dinner together, even if it was breakfast time for some of them and well past midnight for others. But still, she brought the BAU family together, despite all of the barriers that they had. She and Kevin eventually reconciled, the rest of the team knowing that they would get married in due time. Garcia was named the godmother of so many of the BAU children, and when she eventually had twins of her own, they made sure that they were the most spoiled little girls in all of the District.

Reid's mom lived with them until the end of her life. Although Reid persisted in trying to find clinical trials for her, nothing worked, and they ultimately had to resign themselves to the fact that she would be forgetting more and more, until she hardly remembered who they were. But they made the best of it, Piper taking her into the city to different museums and to all of the gardens, signing up for painting classes and all sorts of things to keep her busy. Garcia loved bringing the kids to visit her, and they would keep her entertained for hours.

Reid and Piper stayed with the BAU for another decade or so, until Piper moved to work in Violent Crimes and Reid went to teach at the Academy full-time so he could be there to help take care of his mom. The never had any more children, but helped to raise the others that their BAU family had. Piper kept writing books, and Reid wrote some of his own, even though not a lot of them focused on crime - instead he wrote about quantum mechanics, about mathematical principles that Piper could never understand, and about the studies of geographical profiling that had helped to make him so good at profiling. They spent the rest of their lives in Quantico, taking a vacation once or twice a year when they actually had time. The BAU had been their lives, and it always remained their family.

Through troubling and impossible cases, through all of the ups and downs that life threw their way, the BAU remained a family. They would always be there for each other, even across the country or across the world. No matter what, they were there to go to graduations and ceremonies, to celebrate book releases, and to support each other even when things were difficult. They would always be a family, the BAU family that they made themselves.


End file.
